Mitchell v. W. T. Grant Co.
416 U.S. 600 · Decided May 13, 1974 · 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
Mitchell v. W. T. Grant Co. was decided on May 13, 1974 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Debtors' rights” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 416 U.S. 600 · 94 S. Ct. 1895 · 40 L. Ed. 2d 406 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 137
- Docket number
- 72-6160
- Decided
- May 13, 1974
- Argued
- December 4, 1973
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Debtors' rights
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| 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. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Mitchell v. W. T. Grant Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-102, docket 1973-102-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Donnelly v. Dechristoforo
- Blackledge v. Perry
- Ross v. Moffitt
- Taylor v. Hayes
- Wolff v. McDonnell
- Smith v. GoguenLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- United States Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Hibi
- Dennett v. Hogan
- Department of Game of Washington v. Puyallup Tribe
- Kusper v. PontikesLaw held unconstitutional
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- O'Brien v. SkinnerLaw held unconstitutional
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