Adamson v. California
332 U.S. 46 · Decided June 23, 1947 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Adamson v. California was decided on June 23, 1947 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Stanley F. Reed wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Self-incrimination (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 332 U.S. 46 · 67 S. Ct. 1672 · 91 L. Ed. 1903 · 1947 U.S. LEXIS 2876
- Docket number
- 102
- Decided
- June 23, 1947
- Argued
- January 15, 1947
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Stanley F. Reed
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Self-incrimination (general)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Dissent | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Adamson v. California
SCDB identifiers: case 1946-126, docket 1946-126-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Self-incrimination (general)”
- United States v. Bryan
- United States v. Fleischman
- Blau v. United States
- Rogers v. United States
- Hoffman v. United States
- United States v. Kahriger
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Townsend v. Burke
- United States v. Carignan
- Gallegos v. Nebraska
- Rochin v. California
- Stroble v. California
- Brown v. Allen
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Cleveland v. United States
- Carter v. Illinois
- United States v. Bruno
- Fiswick v. United States
- United States v. Sheridan
- Louisiana ex Rel. Francis v. Resweber
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error