United States v. Salerno

Petitioner

United States

Respondents

Anthony Salerno, Vincent Cafaro

Petitioner's Claim

That the federal court can order someone who presents a danger to others or the community to be held without bail before trial.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

Charles Fried, U.S. Solicitor General

Chief Lawyer for Respondents

Anthony M. Cardinale

Justices for the Court

Harry A. Blackmun, Sandra Day O'Connor, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist (writing for the Court), Antonin Scalia, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting

William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, John Paul Stevens

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

26 May 1987

Decision

The Supreme Court reversed the court of appeals decision that pretrial detention violated the right to due process of the arrested. The Court found that holding a potentially dangerous person without bail did not violate the right to due process or constitute excessive bail, if the government can supply sufficient evidence to warrant such detention.

Related Cases

• Schall v. Martin, 467 U.S. 253 (1984).
• United States v. Portes, 786 F.2d 758 (1985).
• United States v. Rodriguez, 803 F.2d 1102 (1986).
• United States v. Walker, 805 F.2d 1042 (1986).

Sources

West's Encyclopedia of American Law, Vol. 7. Minneapolis, MN: West Publishing, 1998.