Youngberg v. Romeo

Youngberg v. Romeo
Argued January 11, 1982
Decided June 18, 1982
Full case nameDuane Youngberg, Superintendent, Pennhurst State School and Hospital, et al. v. Nicholas Romeo, an incompetent, by his mother and next friend, Romeo
Citations457 U.S. 307 (more)
102 S. Ct. 2452; 73 L. Ed. 2d 28; 1982 U.S. LEXIS 128; 50 U.S.L.W. 4681
ArgumentOral argument
Case history
PriorCertiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Holding
Involuntarily committed residents have protected liberty interests under the Due Process Clause to reasonably safe conditions of confinement, freedom from unreasonable bodily restraints, and such minimally adequate training as reasonably may be required by these interests.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Warren E. Burger
Associate Justices
William J. Brennan Jr. · Byron White
Thurgood Marshall · Harry Blackmun
Lewis F. Powell Jr. · William Rehnquist
John P. Stevens · Sandra Day O'Connor
Case opinions
MajorityPowell, joined by Brennan, White, Marshall, Blackmun, Rehnquist, Stevens, O'Connor
ConcurrenceBlackmun, joined by Brennan, O'Connor
ConcurrenceBurger (in the judgment)
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. XIV

Youngberg v. Romeo, 457 U.S. 307 (1982), was a landmark[1] United States Supreme Court case regarding the rights of the involuntarily committed and those with intellectual disabilities. Nicholas Romeo had an intellectual disability with an infant level IQ and was committed to a Pennsylvania state hospital. He was restrained for 9 months straight out of his 11 month stay and repeatedly abused. [2] The Supreme Court agreed with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals that involuntarily committed residents had the right to reasonably safe confinement conditions, no unreasonable body restraints and the habilitation they reasonably require.

  1. ^ Michael Ashley Stein and William P. Alford. "Faculty Publications 1553 (2009): Yougberg v. Romeo". College of William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repositor. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  2. ^ Oyez: Youngberg v. Romeo, 457 U.S. 307 (1982), U.S. Supreme Court Case Summary & Oral Argument