Cole, State Hospital Superintendent, et al. v. Richardson
Decided April 18, 1972. Warren Earl Burger delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 70-14 · 405 U.S. 676 (1972)
We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion. Read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.
How the Justices voted
Decided 4–3.
Majority · 2
- Warren Earl Burger · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Harry Andrew Blackmun
Concurring · 2
- Byron Raymond White · filed a concurring opinion
- Potter Stewart · filed a concurring opinion
Dissenting · 3
- Thurgood Marshall · filed a dissenting opinion
- William Joseph Brennan Jr.
- William Orville Douglas · filed a dissenting opinion
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).