Regents of the University of Michigan v. Ewing

Decided December 12, 1985. John Paul Stevens delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 84-1273 · 474 U.S. 214 (1985) · Cited 1,052 times

Holding

Even if respondent's assumed property interest gave rise to a substantive right under the Due Process Clause to continue enrollment free from arbitrary state action, the facts of record disclose no such action.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 9–0.

“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.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Board of Regents of State Colleges v. Roth · 408 U.S. 564 (1972)
• Board of Curators of the University of Missouri v. Horowitz · 435 U.S. 78 (1978)
• Moore v. City of East Cleveland · 431 U.S. 494 (1977)
• Perry v. Sindermann · 408 U.S. 593 (1972)
• Bishop v. Wood · 426 U.S. 341 (1976)
• Regents of the University of California v. Bakke · 438 U.S. 265 (1978)
• Keyishian v. Board of Regents of Univ. of State of NY · 385 U.S. 589 (1967)
• Sweezy v. New Hampshire Ex Rel. Wyman · 354 U.S. 234 (1957)
• Griswold v. Connecticut · 381 U.S. 479 (1965)
• Poe v. Ullman · 367 U.S. 497 (1961)
• Kentucky v. Graham · 473 U.S. 159 (1985)
• Roe v. Wade · 410 U.S. 113 (1973)
• Butner v. United States · 440 U.S. 48 (1979)
• Ashwander v. Tennessee Valley Authority · 297 U.S. 288 (1936)
• Goss v. Lopez · 419 U.S. 565 (1975)
• Youngberg v. Romeo Ex Rel. Romeo · 457 U.S. 307 (1982)
• Alabama v. Pugh · 438 U.S. 781 (1978)
• Patsy v. Board of Regents of Fla. · 457 U.S. 496 (1982)
• Brandon v. Holt · 469 U.S. 464 (1985)
• Leroy v. Great Western United Corp. · 443 U.S. 173 (1979)
• Haring v. Prosise · 462 U.S. 306 (1983)
• Florida Department of Health & Rehabilitative Services v. Florida Nursing Home Ass'n · 450 U.S. 147 (1981)
• Propper v. Clark · 337 U.S. 472 (1949)
• Harrah Independent School District v. Martin · 440 U.S. 194 (1979)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Southworth · 529 U.S. 217 (2000)
• Delaware v. Van Arsdall · 475 U.S. 673 (1986)
• Troxel v. Granville · 530 U.S. 57 (2000)
• Collins v. City of Harker Heights · 503 U.S. 115 (1992)
• Gonzaga University v. Doe · 536 U.S. 273 (2002)
• Smith v. Murray · 477 U.S. 527 (1986)
• Foucha v. Louisiana · 504 U.S. 71 (1992)
• Chavez v. Martinez · 538 U.S. 760 (2003)
• Grutter v. Bollinger · 539 U.S. 306 (2003)
• University of Pennsylvania v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · 493 U.S. 182 (1990)
• Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization · 597 U.S. 215 (2022)
• Safford Unified School District 1 v. Redding · 557 U.S. 364 (2009)
• South Carolina v. Catawba Indian Tribe, Inc. · 476 U.S. 498 (1986)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1985). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).