Addington v. Texas
| Addington v. Texas | |
|---|---|
| Argued November 28, 1978 Decided April 30, 1979 | |
| Full case name | Frank O'Neal Addington v. State of Texas |
| Citations | 441 U.S. 418 (more) 99 S. Ct. 1804; 60 L. Ed. 2d 323; 1979 U.S. LEXIS 93 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Cert. to the Supreme Court of Texas |
| Holding | |
| That a "clear and convincing" standard of proof is required by the Fourteenth Amendment in a civil proceeding brought under state law to commit an individual involuntarily for an indefinite period to a state mental hospital. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinion | |
| Majority | Burger, joined by Brennan, Stewart, White, Marshall, Blackmun, Rehnquist, Stevens |
| Powell took no part in the consideration or decision of the case. | |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. XIV | |
Addington v. Texas, 441 U.S. 418 (1979), was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court that set the standard for involuntary commitment for treatment by raising the burden of proof required to commit persons for psychiatric treatment from the usual civil burden of proof of "preponderance of the evidence" to "clear and convincing evidence".