Massachusetts v. Meehan
445 U.S. 39 · Decided February 26, 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
Massachusetts v. Meehan was decided on February 26, 1980 unanimously (9–0). SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “No merits, writ improvidently granted” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 445 U.S. 39 · 100 S. Ct. 1092 · 63 L. Ed. 2d 185 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 83
- Docket number
- 78-1874
- Decided
- February 26, 1980
- Argued
- January 9, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- No merits, writ improvidently granted
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Writ improvidently granted
- Type of law
- Other
- 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 |
Full case caption
Massachusetts v. Meehan
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-043, docket 1979-043-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “No merits, writ improvidently granted”
- Estes v. Metropolitan Branches of the Dallas NAACP
- Ramsey v. New York
- Hunter v. Dean
- Kissinger v. Halperin
- McAdams v. McSurely et Ux.
- United States v. Jacobs
Cases on the same legal provision: Writ improvidently granted
- Darden v. Florida
- Florida v. Casal
- Colorado v. Nunez
- City of Springfield v. Kibbe
- Tacon v. Arizona
- California v. Rooney
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- United States v. Benmar Transport & Leasing Corp.
- Strycker's Bay Neighborhood Council, Inc. v. Karlen
- Estes v. Metropolitan Branches of the Dallas NAACP
- Crowell v. Mader
- Stafford, U.S. Attorney v. Briggs
- Seatrain Shipbuilding Corp. v. Shell Oil Co.
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