Santosky v. Kramer
455 U.S. 745 · Decided March 24, 1982 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Santosky v. Kramer was decided on March 24, 1982 by a vote of 5–4. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Juveniles” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 455 U.S. 745 · 102 S. Ct. 1388 · 71 L. Ed. 2d 599 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 89
- Docket number
- 80-5889
- Decided
- March 24, 1982
- Argued
- November 10, 1981
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Juveniles
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent |
Full case caption
Santosky et al. v. Kramer, Commissioner, Ulster County Department of Social Services, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-069, docket 1981-069-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Juveniles”
- Ralston v. Robinson
- Tuten v. United States
- Schall v. Martin
- Parham v. J.R.
- Secretary of Public Welfare of Pennsylvania v. Institutionalized Juveniles
- Swisher v. Brady
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Logan v. Zimmerman Brush Co.
- City of Mesquite v. Aladdin's Castle, Inc.
- Greene v. LindseyLaw held unconstitutional
- Smith v. Phillips
- Insurance Corporation of Ireland, Ltd. v. Compagnie Des Bauxites de Guinee
- Youngberg v. Romeo
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Ralston v. Robinson
- Polk County v. Dodson
- Blanding v. Dubose
- Cabell v. Chavez-Salido
- Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe
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