CaseTrail

Lindsey v. Normet

405 U.S. 56 · Decided February 23, 1972 · 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

Lindsey v. Normet was decided on February 23, 1972 by a vote of 5–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part and reversed or vacated it in part. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Debtors' rights” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
405 U.S. 56 · 92 S. Ct. 862 · 31 L. Ed. 2d 36 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 91
Docket number
70-5045
Decided
February 23, 1972
Argued
November 15, 1971
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
5–2
Majority opinion
Byron R. White
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Appeal
Issue (SCDB)
Debtors' rights
Issue area
Civil Rights
Legal provision
Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Held unconstitutional
A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William O. DouglasDissentWrote an opinion
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.DissentWrote an opinion
Justice Potter StewartMajority
Justice Byron R. WhiteMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Thurgood MarshallMajority
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerMajority
Justice Harry A. BlackmunMajority

Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr., William H. Rehnquist.

Full case caption

Lindsey et al. v. Normet et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1971-056, docket 1971-056-01.

Other cases on “Debtors' rights”

See all

Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

See all

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