Vance v. Terrazas
444 U.S. 252 · Decided January 15, 1980 · 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
Vance v. Terrazas was decided on January 15, 1980 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Immigration, loss of citizenship or denaturalization” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 444 U.S. 252 · 100 S. Ct. 540 · 62 L. Ed. 2d 461 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 63
- Docket number
- 78-1143
- Decided
- January 15, 1980
- Argued
- October 30, 1979
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Immigration and Nationality statutes
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | 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 | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Vance, Secretary of State v. Terrazas
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-017, docket 1979-017-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Immigration, loss of citizenship or denaturalization”
- Fedorenko v. United States
- Kungys v. United States
- Rogers v. Bellei
- Afroyim v. RuskAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Schneider v. RuskAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Kennedy v. Mendoza-MartinezLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Immigration and Nationality statutes
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Jong Ha Wang et Ux.
- Agosto v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- Elkins v. Moreno
- Fiallo v. Bell
- Landon v. Plasencia
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. ChadhaLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Board of Education of the City School District of New York v. Harris
- Martinez v. California
- California Brewers Assn. v. Bryant
- United States v. Clark
- United States v. Clarke
- Owen v. City of Independence
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