United States v. Richardson
418 U.S. 166 · Decided June 25, 1974 · 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
United States v. Richardson was decided on June 25, 1974 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Standing, taxpayer suits” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 418 U.S. 166 · 94 S. Ct. 2940 · 41 L. Ed. 2d 678 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 3
- Docket number
- 72-885
- Decided
- June 25, 1974
- Argued
- October 10, 1973
- 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
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Standing, taxpayer suits
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
United States et al. v. Richardson
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-157, docket 1973-157-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Standing, taxpayer suits”
- Schlesinger v. Reservists Committee to Stop the War
- Flast v. Cohen
- Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc.
- Doremus v. Board of Education of the Borough of Hawthorne
- Daimlerchrysler Corporation v. Charlotte Cuno
- Jay F. Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Satiacum v. Washington
- Paschall v. Christie-Stewart, Inc.
- Chicago Mercantile Exchange v. Deaktor
- Foley v. Blair & Co., Inc.
- Zahn v. International Paper Co.
- Schmidt v. Lessard
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