Martinez v. California
444 U.S. 277 · Decided January 15, 1980 · 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
Martinez v. California was decided on January 15, 1980 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 444 U.S. 277 · 100 S. Ct. 553 · 62 L. Ed. 2d 481 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 64
- Docket number
- 78-1268
- Decided
- January 15, 1980
- Argued
- November 5, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive 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)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Martinez et al. v. California et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-018, docket 1979-018-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Owen v. City of Independence
- Gomez v. Toledo
- Supreme Court of Virginia v. Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.
- Maine v. Thiboutot et Vir.
- Baker v. McCollan
- Dennis v. Sparks
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson
- Rush v. Savchuk
- Mobil Oil Corp. v. Commissioner of Taxes of Vermont
- Vitek v. JonesLaw held unconstitutional
- Pilon v. Bordenkircher
- Exxon Corp. v. Department of Revenue of Wisconsin
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Board of Education of the City School District of New York v. Harris
- Vance v. Terrazas
- California Brewers Assn. v. Bryant
- United States v. Clark
- United States v. Clarke
- Owen v. City of Independence
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