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Sniadach v. Family Finance Corp. of Bay View

395 U.S. 337 · Decided June 9, 1969 · 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

Sniadach v. Family Finance Corp. of Bay View was decided on June 9, 1969 by a vote of 7–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Debtors' rights” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
395 U.S. 337 · 89 S. Ct. 1820 · 23 L. Ed. 2d 349 · 1969 U.S. LEXIS 1365
Docket number
130
Decided
June 9, 1969
Argued
April 24, 1969
Court era
Warren Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
7–1
Majority opinion
William O. Douglas
Opinion assigned by
Earl Warren
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue (SCDB)
Debtors' rights
Issue area
Civil Rights
Legal provision
Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Held unconstitutional
A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Hugo L. BlackDissentWrote an opinion
Justice William O. DouglasMajorityWrote an opinion
Chief Justice Earl WarrenMajority
Justice John M. Harlan IIConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Majority
Justice Potter StewartMajority
Justice Byron R. WhiteMajority
Justice Thurgood MarshallMajority

Full case caption

Sniadach v. Family Finance Corp. of Bay View et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1968-119, docket 1968-119-01.

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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