John H. McCarthy v. Bronson
500 U.S. 136 · Decided May 20, 1991 · 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
John H. McCarthy v. Bronson was decided on May 20, 1991 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 500 U.S. 136 · 111 S. Ct. 1737 · 114 L. Ed. 2d 194 · 1991 U.S. LEXIS 2780
- Docket number
- 90-5635
- Decided
- May 20, 1991
- Argued
- March 25, 1991
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 636
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority |
Full case caption
John H. McCarthy v. Bronson, George, Warden, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1990-073, docket 1990-073-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights”
- Michael Owen Perry v. Louisiana
- Robert C. Rufo v. Inmates of the Suffolk County Jail
- Washington v. Walter Harper
- Kentucky Department of Corrections v. Thompson
- Board of Pardons v. Allen
- United States v. Salerno
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 636
- Peretz v. United States
- Gomez v. United States
- Thomas v. Arn
- United States v. Raddatz
- Joseph C. Roell v. Jon Michael Withrow
- Mathews v. Weber
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
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