O'Connor v. Donaldson

O'Connor v. Donaldson (1975) is a U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled mental health laws cannot forcibly hospitalize individuals who are mentally ill but do not pose a danger to themselves or others, simply because they are mentally ill. The case involved Kenneth Donaldson, who was confined in a mental hospital for 15 years without being dangerous or mentally ill enough to justify detention. The Court decided that such involuntary commitment violates the constitutional rights to liberty and due process, emphasizing that mental illness alone, without risk of harm, isn’t enough for involuntary hospitalization.