Superintendent v. Hill
472 U.S. 445 · Decided June 17, 1985 · 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
Superintendent v. Hill was decided on June 17, 1985 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 472 U.S. 445 · 105 S. Ct. 2768 · 86 L. Ed. 2d 356 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 109
- Docket number
- 84-438
- Decided
- June 17, 1985
- Argued
- March 25, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Superintendent, Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Walpole v. Hill et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-127, docket 1984-127-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights”
- Ponte v. Real
- Black v. Romano
- Block v. Rutherford
- United States v. Salerno
- City of Revere v. Massachusetts General Hospital
- Board of Pardons v. Allen
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Shutts
- Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz
- Francis v. Franklin
- Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill
- Ake v. Oklahoma
- Hill v. Lockhart
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- United States v. 50 Acres of Land
- Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill
- United States v. Locke
- Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz
- Ponte v. Real
- Black v. Romano
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