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Department of Mental Hygiene v. Kirchner, 380 U.S. 194 (1965)
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General SummaryThis case is from a collection containing the full text of over 16,000 Supreme Court cases from 1793 to the present. The body of Supreme Court decisions are, effectively, the final interpretation of the Constitution. Only an amendment to the Constitution can permanently overturn an interpretation and this has happened only four times in American history.
Department of Mental Hygiene v. Kirchner, 380 U.S. 194 (1965)
Department of Mental Hygiene of California v. Kirchner No. 111 Argued January 19, 1965 Decided March 8, 1965 380 U.S. 194
CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA
Syllabus
Petitioner sued the administratrix of the estate of a deceased daughter of an adjudged incompetent for the cost of support furnished the incompetent in a state mental institution, and recovered a judgment which was reversed by the Supreme Court of California. That court found that the state statute creating support liability "violates the basic constitutional guaranty of equal protection of the law. . . ."
Held: since the California court did not specify whether its holding was based on the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution or the equivalent provision of the state constitution, or both, this Court cannot be certain that the judgment below was not based on an adequate and independent nonfederal ground. In light of the doubt as to this Court’s jurisdiction, the judgment is vacated and the case remanded. Pp. 195-201.
60 Cal. 2d 716, 381 P.2d 720, judgment vacated and case remanded.
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Chicago:
U.S. Supreme Court, "Syllabus," Department of Mental Hygiene v. Kirchner, 380 U.S. 194 (1965) in 380 U.S. 194 380 U.S. 195. Original Sources, accessed July 30, 2025, http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=IT51NSKDSCPC51P.
MLA:
U.S. Supreme Court. "Syllabus." Department of Mental Hygiene v. Kirchner, 380 U.S. 194 (1965), in 380 U.S. 194, page 380 U.S. 195. Original Sources. 30 Jul. 2025. http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=IT51NSKDSCPC51P.
Harvard:
U.S. Supreme Court, 'Syllabus' in Department of Mental Hygiene v. Kirchner, 380 U.S. 194 (1965). cited in 1965, 380 U.S. 194, pp.380 U.S. 195. Original Sources, retrieved 30 July 2025, from http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=IT51NSKDSCPC51P.
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