Rogers v. Bellei
401 U.S. 815 · Decided April 5, 1971 · 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
Rogers v. Bellei was decided on April 5, 1971 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Immigration, loss of citizenship or denaturalization” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 401 U.S. 815 · 91 S. Ct. 1060 · 28 L. Ed. 2d 499 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 61
- Docket number
- 24
- Decided
- April 5, 1971
- Argued
- January 15, 1970
- Reargued
- November 12, 1970
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (citizenship clause)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Rogers, Secretary of State v. Bellei
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-079, docket 1970-079-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Immigration, loss of citizenship or denaturalization”
- Afroyim v. RuskAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Schneider v. RuskAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Kennedy v. Mendoza-MartinezLaw held unconstitutional
- Schneider v. Rusk
- Vance v. Terrazas
- Rusk v. Cort
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (citizenship clause)
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Oregon v. MitchellLaw held unconstitutional
- Perkins v. Matthews
- Kennerly v. District Court of the Ninth Judicial District of Montana
- Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp.
- Relford v. Commandant, U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, Ft. Leavenworth
- Boddie v. ConnecticutLaw 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