M. L. B. v. S. L. J.
519 U.S. 102 · Decided December 16, 1996 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
M. L. B. v. S. L. J. was decided on December 16, 1996 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, costs or filing fees” 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
- 519 U.S. 102 · 117 S. Ct. 555 · 136 L. Ed. 2d 473 · 1996 U.S. LEXIS 7647
- Docket number
- 95-853
- Decided
- December 16, 1996
- Argued
- October 7, 1996
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, costs or filing fees
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
M. L. B. v. S. L. J., Individually and as Next Friend of the Minor Children, S. L. J. and M. L. J., et Ux.
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-010, docket 1996-010-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, costs or filing fees”
- In re Maria Luisa Costell Gaydos
- Vincent F. Rivera v. Florida Department of Corrections
- George F. Denton v. Mike Hernandez
- Wrenn v. Benson
- Little v. StreaterLaw held unconstitutional
- Hinton v. Alabama
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- United States v. VirginiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Ruth O. Shaw v. James B. Hunt, Jr.Law held unconstitutional
- George W. Bush v. Al VeraLaw held unconstitutional
- C. Martin Lawyer v. Department of Justice
- Dennis C. Vacco v. Timothy E. Quill
- Roy Romer v. Richard G. EvansLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- United States Department of State v. Legal Assistance for Vietnamese Asylum Seekers, Inc.
- Vicky M. Lopez v. Monterey County
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Yueh-Shaio Yang
- In re Maria Luisa Costell Gaydos
- Darlene Walters v. Metropolitan Educational Enterprises, Inc.
- Charles T. Robinson, Sr. v. Shell Oil Company
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