Lynch v. Household Finance Corp.
405 U.S. 538 · Decided March 23, 1972 · 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
Lynch v. Household Finance Corp. was decided on March 23, 1972 unanimously (7–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Debtors' rights” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 405 U.S. 538 · 92 S. Ct. 1113 · 31 L. Ed. 2d 424 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 153
- Docket number
- 70-5058
- Decided
- March 23, 1972
- Argued
- December 7, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Debtors' rights
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1343
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr., William H. Rehnquist.
Full case caption
Lynch et al. v. Household Finance Corp. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-083, docket 1971-083-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Debtors' rights”
- D. H. Overmyer Co., Inc. v. Frick Co.
- Swarb v. Lennox
- Lindsey v. NormetLaw held unconstitutional
- Fuentes v. ShevinLaw held unconstitutional
- Simmons et Ux. v. West Haven Housing Authority
- Mitchell v. W. T. Grant Co.Altered precedent
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1343
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Engelman v. Amos
- Doherty v. United States
- Schreiner v. United States
- Reed v. ReedLaw held unconstitutional
- Richardson v. Belcher
- Mayer v. City of Chicago
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