Pearson v. Dodd
429 U.S. 396 · Decided January 12, 1977 · 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
Pearson v. Dodd was decided on January 12, 1977 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, no substantial federal question” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 429 U.S. 396 · 97 S. Ct. 581 · 50 L. Ed. 2d 574 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 34
- Docket number
- 75-1318
- Decided
- January 12, 1977
- Argued
- December 1, 1976
- 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
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- No merits, no substantial federal question
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- 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
Pearson v. Dodd et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-036, docket 1976-036-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “No merits, no substantial federal question”
- Vincent v. Texas
- Maryland and Virginia Eldership of the Churches of God v. Church of God at Sharpsburg, Inc.
- Mattiello v. Connecticut.
- Hackin v. Arizona
- Bohannan v. Arizona ex Rel. Smith
- Fairfax Family Fund, Inc. v. California
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Standard Oil Co. of California v. United StatesAltered precedent
- Scott v. Kentucky Parole Board
- Massachusetts v. Feeney
- Tully v. Griffin, Inc.
- Belcher v. Stengel
- Cook v. Hudson
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