New Motor Vehicle Board of California v. Orrin W. Fox Co.
439 U.S. 96 · Decided December 5, 1978 · 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
New Motor Vehicle Board of California v. Orrin W. Fox Co. was decided on December 5, 1978 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, hearing or notice” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 439 U.S. 96 · 99 S. Ct. 403 · 58 L. Ed. 2d 361 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 142
- Docket number
- 77-837
- Decided
- December 5, 1978
- Argued
- October 3, 1978
- 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
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, hearing or notice
- Issue area
- Due Process
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
New Motor Vehicle Board of California et al. v. Orrin W. Fox Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-010, docket 1978-010-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, hearing or notice”
- Leis v. Flynt
- Mackey v. Montrym
- Barry v. BarchiLaw held unconstitutional
- Board of Curators of the University of Missouri v. Horowitz
- Smith v. Organization of Foster Families for Equality & Reform
- O'Bannon v. Town Court Nursing Center
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Presnell v. Georgia
- Harrah Independent School District v. Martin
- Addington v. Texas
- Kentucky v. Whorton
- Moorman Manufacturing Co. v. Bair
- Exxon Corp. v. Governor of Maryland
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- Leis v. Flynt
- United States v. Bodcaw Co.
- Leo Sheep Co. v. United States
- Addington v. Texas
- United States v. 564.54 Acres of Land
- Bell v. Wolfish
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