Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
K

Kennedy v. Mendoza-Martinez

372 U.S. 144 (1963)

From our private database of 46,400+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Kennedy v. Mendoza-Martinez

United States Supreme Court
372 U.S. 144 (1963)

SR

Facts

Francisco Mendoza-Martinez (defendant) was a dual citizen of the United States and Mexico. In 1942, Mendoza-Martinez went to Mexico for the purpose of evading military service and did not return until 1946. Mendoza-Martinez was convicted of evading military service and served a sentence of one year and one day. Subsequently, Mendoza-Martinez was stripped of his American citizenship because he had evaded military service, and he was subject to deportation. After a deportation hearing, the United States attorney general’s special-inquiry officer ordered Mendoza-Martinez to be deported as an alien. Mendoza-Martinez appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals of the Department of Justice. The board dismissed his appeal. Mendoza-Martinez sought declaratory relief in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. The district court determined that the statute divesting Mendoza-Martinez of citizenship was unconstitutional because it was penal in character and did not provide due process. United States Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Goldberg, 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 824,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead 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.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 824,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,400 briefs, keyed to 989 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.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 824,000 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
  • 46,400 briefs - keyed to 989 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

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Criminal Law
International Law

Key Terms