O'Connor v. Donaldson
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| O'Connor v. Kenneth Donaldson | |||||||||||||
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| Argued January 15, 1975 Decided June 26, 1975 |
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| Holding | |||||||||||||
| A State cannot constitutionally confine a non-dangerous individual who is capable of surviving safely in freedom by themselves or with the help of willing and responsible family members or friends. | |||||||||||||
| Court membership | |||||||||||||
| Chief Justice: Warren E. Burger Associate Justices: William O. Douglas, William J. Brennan, Potter Stewart, Byron White, Thurgood Marshall, Harry Blackmun, Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr., William Rehnquist |
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| Case opinions | |||||||||||||
| Majority by: Stewart Joined by: unanimous Concurrence by: Burger |
O'Connor v. Donaldson, 422 U.S. 563 (1975), was a very influential case on the subject of mental health. The United States Supreme Court ruled that states could not confine citizens to an institution (or similar) if they were non-dangerous and capable of living by themselves, or with the aid of responsible family or friends.
Kenneth Donaldson (confined patient) had been held for 15 years in a Florida state hospital, due to needs of "care, maintenance, and treatment". He filed a lawsuit against the hospital and staff members claiming they had robbed him of his constitutional rights, by confining him against his will. Having won his case at District Court, he won the appeals, and in 1975 the victory was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court.
[edit] Kenneth Donaldson
The origins of Donaldson's institutionalization began in 1943 - at age 43 -, when he suffered a trauma episode. He was hospitalized and received treatment, before resuming life with his family. However, in 1950s he developed paranoid delusions, and was committed to the state hospital of Chattahoochee,_Florida in 1956. He spent 15 years as a patient; though he did not receive any treatment, actively refusing it, and attempting to secure his release. Throughout his stay he denied he was ever ill, and refused to be put into a half-way house.
