Black v. Romano
471 U.S. 606 · Decided May 20, 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
Black v. Romano was decided on May 20, 1985 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. 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
- 471 U.S. 606 · 105 S. Ct. 2254 · 85 L. Ed. 2d 636 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 18
- Docket number
- 84-465
- Decided
- May 20, 1985
- Argued
- March 18, 1985
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- 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. | Concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Black, Director, Missouri Department of Corrections and Human Resources, et al. v. Romano
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-101, docket 1984-101-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights”
- Ponte v. Real
- Superintendent v. Hill
- Block v. Rutherford
- City of Revere v. Massachusetts General Hospital
- United States v. Salerno
- Board of Pardons v. Allen
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz
- Francis v. Franklin
- Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Shutts
- 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
- Atkins v. Parker
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