Sosna v. Iowa
419 U.S. 393 · Decided January 14, 1975 · 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
Sosna v. Iowa was decided on January 14, 1975 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Residency requirements” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 419 U.S. 393 · 95 S. Ct. 553 · 42 L. Ed. 2d 532 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 19
- Docket number
- 73-762
- Decided
- January 14, 1975
- Argued
- October 17, 1974
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Residency requirements
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| 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 | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Sosna v. Iowa et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1974-020, docket 1974-020-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Residency requirements”
- Memorial Hospital v. Maricopa CountyLaw held unconstitutional
- Kusper v. PontikesLaw held unconstitutional
- McCarthy v. Philadelphia Civil Service Commission
- Rosario v. Rockefeller
- Marston v. Lewis
- Burns v. Fortson
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Chapman v. Meier
- Estelle v. Dorrough
- Stanton v. StantonLaw held unconstitutional
- Hill v. StoneLaw held unconstitutional
- Dallas County v. Reese
- Milliken v. Bradley
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Saxbe v. Bustos
- Schick v. Reed
- Schlesinger v. Ballard
- Taylor v. LouisianaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Mazurie
- North Georgia Finishing, Inc. v. Di-Chem, Inc.Law 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