| Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued December 6, 1989 Decided June 25, 1990 | |
| Full case name | Nancy Beth Cruzan, by her parents and co-guardians, Cruzan et ux. v. Director, Missouri Department of Health, et al. |
| Citations | 497 U.S. 261 (more) 110 S. Ct. 2841; 111 L. Ed. 2d 224; 1990 U.S. LEXIS 3301; 58 U.S.L.W. 4916 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Certiorari to the Supreme Court of Missouri |
| Holding | |
| Missouri may, consistent with the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, require that an incompetent's wish to discontinue life support be proven by clear and convincing evidence before life-sustaining treatment may be withdrawn. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Rehnquist, joined by White, O'Connor, Scalia, Kennedy |
| Concurrence | O'Connor |
| Concurrence | Scalia |
| Dissent | Brennan, joined by Marshall, Blackmun |
| Dissent | Stevens |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amends. IX, XIV | |
Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health, 497 U.S. 261 (1990), was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States involving a young adult incompetent. The first "right to die" case ever heard by the Court, Cruzan was argued on December 6, 1989, and decided on June 25, 1990. In a 5–4 decision, the Court affirmed the earlier ruling of the Supreme Court of Missouri and ruled in favor of the State of Missouri, finding it was acceptable to require "clear and convincing evidence" of a patient's wishes for removal of life support. A significant outcome of the case was the creation of advance health directives.