Quimbee logo
DMCA.com Protection Status

Heckler v. Chaney

470 U.S. 821 (1985)
From our private database of 18,800+ case briefs...

Heckler v. Chaney

United States Supreme Court
470 U.S. 821 (1985)

 

Facts

Individuals who were sentenced to death by lethal injection of drugs in Oklahoma and Texas (plaintiffs) filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In their petition, the plaintiffs argued that the FDA had not approved the use of such drugs for human executions. For this reason, the plaintiffs contended that the states’ use of the drugs for human execution violated various provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (FDCA). In their petition, the plaintiffs requested that the FDA take certain investigatory and enforcement actions to prevent such violations. The FDA refused the plaintiffs’ request. The plaintiffs then made a similar request in federal court in a suit against the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) (defendant). The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Rehnquist, J.)

Concurrence (Brennan, J.)

Concurrence (Marshall, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 499,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Vanderbilt, Berkeley, and the University of Illinois—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students. Read our student testimonials.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students. Read more about Quimbee.

Here's why 499,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 18,800 briefs, keyed to 985 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Questions & Answers

Have a question about this case?

Sign up for a free 7-day trial and ask it

Sign up for a FREE 7-day trial

Here's why 499,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners not other law students.
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet.
  • 18,800 briefs - keyed to 985 casebooks.
  • Uniform format for every case brief.
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language.
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions.
  • Top-notch customer support.