Jones v. Helms
452 U.S. 412 · Decided June 15, 1981 · 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
Jones v. Helms was decided on June 15, 1981 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miscellaneous civil rights” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 452 U.S. 412 · 101 S. Ct. 2434 · 69 L. Ed. 2d 118 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 124
- Docket number
- 80-850
- Decided
- June 15, 1981
- Argued
- April 28, 1981
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miscellaneous civil rights
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Article IV, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (privileges and immunities clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Jones, Warden, Stone Mountain Correctional Institution v. Helms
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-117, docket 1980-117-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miscellaneous civil rights”
- Village of Willowbrook v. Grace Olech
- Sause v. Bauer
- Federal Bureau of Investigation v. Fazaga
- Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic
Cases on the same legal provision: Article IV, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (privileges and immunities clause)
- United Building & Construction Trades Council of Camden County and Vicinity v. Mayor and Council of the City of Camden
- Terk v. Gordon
- Baldwin v. Fish and Game Commission of Montana
- Supreme Court of New Hampshire v. PiperLaw held unconstitutional
- Austin v. New HampshireLaw held unconstitutional
- Supreme Court of Virginia v. FriedmanLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Dennis v. Sparks
- Allen v. McCurry
- United States Railroad Retirement Board v. Fritz
- Delaware State College v. Ricks
- Fedorenko v. United States
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Associated Dry Goods Corp.
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