Key v. Doyle
434 U.S. 59 · Decided November 14, 1977 · 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
Key v. Doyle was decided on November 14, 1977 by a vote of 5–4. SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Supreme Court jurisdiction on appeal from highest state court” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 434 U.S. 59 · 98 S. Ct. 280 · 54 L. Ed. 2d 238 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 2672
- Docket number
- 76-1057
- Decided
- November 14, 1977
- Argued
- October 5, 1977
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1257
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Key et al. v. Doyle et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-008, docket 1977-008-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Supreme Court jurisdiction on appeal from highest state court”
- Costarelli v. Massachusetts
- Gotthilf v. Sills
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Alabama ex Rel. Patterson
- Susan Jinks v. Richland County
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1257
- San Diego Gas & Electric Co. v. City of San Diego
- Flynt v. Ohio
- O'Dell v. Espinoza
- Xerox Corp. v. County of Harris
- Banks v. California
- R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Durham County
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Citizens & Southern National Bank v. Bougas
- Chase Manhattan Bank v. South Acres Development Co.
- Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. v. Jerome
- Browder v. Director
- Vendo Co. v. Lektro-Vend Corp.
- Bankers Trust Co. v. Mallis
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