McNeil v. Director
407 U.S. 245 · Decided June 19, 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
McNeil v. Director was decided on June 19, 1972 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, miscellaneous” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 407 U.S. 245 · 92 S. Ct. 2083 · 32 L. Ed. 2d 719 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 37
- Docket number
- 71-5144
- Decided
- June 19, 1972
- Argued
- April 20, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
McNeil v. Director, Patuxent Institution
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-145, docket 1971-145-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, miscellaneous”
- Moore v. Illinois
- Jackson v. IndianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Giglio v. United States
- Papachristou v. City of JacksonvilleLaw held unconstitutional
- Smith v. Florida
- Robinson v. HanrahanLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Fuentes v. ShevinLaw held unconstitutional
- Morrissey v. Brewer
- Board of Regents of State Colleges v. Roth
- Perry v. Sindermann
- Stanley v. IllinoisLaw held unconstitutional
- Loper v. Beto
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- Arciniega v. Freeman, U.S. Marshal
- Younger v. Gilmore
- Jennings v. Mahoney
- Groppi v. Leslie
- Giglio v. United States
- Papachristou v. City of JacksonvilleLaw held unconstitutional
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