Hunter v. Dean
439 U.S. 281 · Decided December 11, 1978 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Hunter v. Dean was decided on December 11, 1978 unanimously (9–0). SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “No merits, writ improvidently granted” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 439 U.S. 281 · 99 S. Ct. 712 · 58 L. Ed. 2d 520 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 146
- Docket number
- 77-6248
- Decided
- December 11, 1978
- Argued
- October 11, 1978
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- No merits, writ improvidently granted
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Writ improvidently granted
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Hunter v. Dean, Sheriff
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-018, docket 1978-018-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “No merits, writ improvidently granted”
- Ramsey v. New York
- McAdams v. McSurely et Ux.
- United States v. Jacobs
- Estes v. Metropolitan Branches of the Dallas NAACP
- Massachusetts v. Meehan
- Jones v. Hildebrant
Cases on the same legal provision: Writ improvidently granted
- Darden v. Florida
- Florida v. Casal
- Colorado v. Nunez
- Tacon v. Arizona
- Sarno v. Illinois Crime Investigating Commission
- Duncan v. Tennessee
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Long Island Rail Road Co. v. Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad Co.
- Carey v. Wynn
- Union Pacific Railroad Co. v. Sheehan
- Mobay Chemical Corp. v. Costle
- Parklane Hosiery Co., Inc. v. Shore
- California v. Arizona
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error