Lorelyn Penero Miller v. Madeleine K. Albright
523 U.S. 420 · Decided April 22, 1998 · 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
Lorelyn Penero Miller v. Madeleine K. Albright was decided on April 22, 1998 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Rights of illegitimates” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 523 U.S. 420 · 118 S. Ct. 1428 · 140 L. Ed. 2d 575 · 1998 U.S. LEXIS 2789
- Docket number
- 96-1060
- Decided
- April 22, 1998
- Argued
- November 4, 1997
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Rights of illegitimates
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Immigration and Nationality statutes
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Lorelyn Penero Miller v. Madeleine K. Albright, Secretary of State
SCDB identifiers: case 1997-055, docket 1997-055-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Rights of illegitimates”
- Clark v. JeterLaw held unconstitutional
- Reed v. Campbell
- Pickett v. BrownLaw held unconstitutional
- Mills v. HabluetzelLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Clark
- Califano v. Boles
Cases on the same legal provision: Immigration and Nationality statutes
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Juan Anibal Aguirre-Aguirre
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Yueh-Shaio Yang
- United States Department of State v. Legal Assistance for Vietnamese Asylum Seekers, Inc.
- Marvin Stone v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- Kestutis Zadvydas v. Christine G. Davis and Immigration and Naturalization Service
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Fredy Orlando Ventura
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Carson Lynn Brown v. R. Williams
- City of Monroe v. United States
- Murphy J. Foster, Jr. v. G. Scott LoveLaw held unconstitutional
- Lynne Kalina v. Rodney Fletcher
- South Dakota v. Yankton Sioux Tribe
- Dolores M. Oubre v. Entergy Operations, Inc.
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