Greenholtz v. Inmates of the Nebraska Penal and Correction Complex
442 U.S. 1 · Decided May 29, 1979 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Greenholtz v. Inmates of the Nebraska Penal and Correction Complex was decided on May 29, 1979 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger 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
- 442 U.S. 1 · 99 S. Ct. 2100 · 60 L. Ed. 2d 668 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 116
- Docket number
- 78-201
- Decided
- May 29, 1979
- Argued
- January 17, 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
- Warren E. Burger
- 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 Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent |
Full case caption
Greenholtz, Chairman, Board of Parole of Nebraska, et al. v. Inmates of the Nebraska Penal and Correction Complex et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-100, docket 1978-100-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights”
- Bell v. Wolfish
- Vitek v. JonesLaw held unconstitutional
- Connecticut Board of Pardons v. Dumschat
- Howe v. Smith
- Bounds v. Smith
- Jago v. Van Curen
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Green v. Georgia
- County Court of Ulster County v. Allen
- Kentucky v. Whorton
- Sandstrom v. Montana
- Parham v. J.R.
- Secretary of Public Welfare of Pennsylvania v. Institutionalized Juveniles
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- New Motor Vehicle Board of California v. Orrin W. Fox Co.
- Leis v. Flynt
- United States v. Bodcaw Co.
- Leo Sheep Co. v. United States
- Addington v. Texas
- United States v. 564.54 Acres of Land
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