O'Dell v. Espinoza
456 U.S. 430 · Decided May 4, 1982 · 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
O'Dell v. Espinoza was decided on May 4, 1982 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, want of jurisdiction” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 456 U.S. 430 · 102 S. Ct. 1865 · 72 L. Ed. 2d 237 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 102
- Docket number
- 81-534
- Decided
- May 4, 1982
- Argued
- April 26, 1982
- 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, want of jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1257
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | 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 | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
O'Dell et al. v. Espinoza, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Espinoza and as Guardian, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-087, docket 1981-087-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1257
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- Leeke v. Timmerman
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- Princeton University v. Schmid
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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