Meachum v. Fano
427 U.S. 215 · Decided June 25, 1976 · 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
Meachum v. Fano was decided on June 25, 1976 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White 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
- 427 U.S. 215 · 96 S. Ct. 2532 · 49 L. Ed. 2d 451 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 73
- Docket number
- 75-252
- Decided
- June 25, 1976
- Argued
- April 21, 1976
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Meachum, Correctional Superintendent, et al. v. Fano et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-151, docket 1975-151-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights”
- Montanye v. Haymes
- Baxter v. Palmigiano
- Moody v. Daggett
- Bounds v. Smith
- Wolff v. McDonnell
- Marshall v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- North v. Russell
- City of Eastlake v. Forest City Enterprises, Inc.
- Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. DanforthLaw held unconstitutional
- Hortonville Joint School District No. 1 v. Hortonville Education Assn.
- Doyle v. Ohio
- Henderson v. Morgan
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- Rose v. Locke
- United States v. Powell
- Laing v. United States
- Alamo Land & Cattle Co., Inc. v. Arizona Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Shapiro et Ux.
- Baxter v. Palmigiano
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