Schmidt v. Lessard
414 U.S. 473 · Decided January 14, 1974 · 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
Schmidt v. Lessard was decided on January 14, 1974 by a vote of 8–1. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal rules of civil procedure” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 414 U.S. 473 · 94 S. Ct. 713 · 38 L. Ed. 2d 661 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 40
- Docket number
- 73-568
- Decided
- January 14, 1974
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal rules of civil procedure
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| 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 |
Full case caption
Schmidt, Director of Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services, et al. v. Lessard
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-035, docket 1973-035-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal rules of civil procedure”
- American Pipe & Construction Co. v. Utah
- Zahn v. International Paper Co.
- Eisen v. Carlisle & Jacquelin
- Colgrove v. Battin, U.S. District Judge
- United States v. Indrelunas
- National Hockey League v. Metropolitan Hockey Club, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Board of School Commissioners of the City of Indianapolis v. Jacobs
- Carter v. Stanton
- Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. v. Wetzel
- United States v. Reynolds et Ux.
- First National Bank of Arizona v. Cities Service Co.
- Lee v. WashingtonLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Satiacum v. Washington
- Paschall v. Christie-Stewart, Inc.
- Chicago Mercantile Exchange v. Deaktor
- Foley v. Blair & Co., Inc.
- Zahn v. International Paper Co.
- O'Shea v. Littleton
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