O'Brien v. Brown
409 U.S. 1 · Decided July 7, 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
O'Brien v. Brown was decided on July 7, 1972 by a vote of 6–3. SCDB codes the disposition as “stay, petition, or motion granted.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extraordinary relief” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 409 U.S. 1 · 92 S. Ct. 2718 · 34 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 18
- Docket number
- 72-34
- Decided
- July 7, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Stay, petition, or motion granted
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Extraordinary relief
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
O'Brien et al. v. Brown et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-002, docket 1972-002-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extraordinary relief”
- Chandler, U.S. District Judge v. Judicial Council of the Tenth Circuit
- In re Herndon
- Bucolo v. Adkins
- Connor v. Coleman
- Will, U.S. District Judge v. United States
- Vendo Co. v. Lektro-Vend Corp.
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Richardson v. Morris
- Illinois v. Michigan
- California v. Krivda
- Johnson v. New York State Education Department
- Tidewater Oil Co. v. United States
- Trafficante v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.
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