Willis v. Prudential Insurance Company of America
405 U.S. 318 · Decided March 20, 1972 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Willis v. Prudential Insurance Company of America was decided on March 20, 1972 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Rights of illegitimates” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 405 U.S. 318 · 92 S. Ct. 1257 · 31 L. Ed. 2d 273 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 79
- Docket number
- 70-5344
- Decided
- March 20, 1972
- Argued
- February 28, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Rights of illegitimates
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Equally divided vote | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Willis v. Prudential Insurance Company of America
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-074, docket 1971-074-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Rights of illegitimates”
- Weber v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co.Law held unconstitutional
- Gomez v. PerezLaw held unconstitutional
- Linda R. S. v. Richard D.
- Labine v. Vincent
- New Jersey Welfare Rights Organization v. CahillLaw held unconstitutional
- Jimenez v. WeinbergerLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Engelman v. Amos
- Doherty v. United States
- Schreiner v. United States
- Reed v. ReedLaw held unconstitutional
- Richardson v. Belcher
- Mayer v. City of Chicago
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