Shaughnessy v. United States ex Rel. Mezei
345 U.S. 206 · Decided March 16, 1953 · 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
Shaughnessy v. United States ex Rel. Mezei was decided on March 16, 1953 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, hearing or notice” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 345 U.S. 206 · 73 S. Ct. 625 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 956 · 1953 U.S. LEXIS 2301
- Docket number
- 139
- Decided
- March 16, 1953
- Argued
- January 7, 1953
- Court era
- Vinson 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
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, hearing or notice
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (due process)
- 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 Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
Shaughnessy, District Director of Immigration and Naturalization, v. United States ex Rel. Mezei
SCDB identifiers: case 1952-067, docket 1952-067-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, hearing or notice”
- Kwong Hai Chew v. Colding
- City of New York v. New York
- Whelchel v. McDonald
- Ewing v. Mytinger & Casselberry, Inc.
- Mullane v. Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co.Law held unconstitutional
- Covey v. Town of SomersLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Dennis v. United States
- Jordan v. de George
- Johnson v. Eisentrager
- Watkins v. United States
- Ludecke v. Watkins
- National Labor Relations Board v. Donnelly Garment Co.
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- United States v. Caltex (Philippines), Inc.
- United States v. CardiffLaw held unconstitutional
- City of New York v. New York
- Kwong Hai Chew v. Colding
- Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. v. United States
- United States v. Certain Parcels of Land in the County of Fairfax
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