Alcorta v. Texas
355 U.S. 28 · Decided November 12, 1957 · 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
Alcorta v. Texas was decided on November 12, 1957 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, prejudicial statements or evidence” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 355 U.S. 28 · 78 S. Ct. 103 · 2 L. Ed. 2d 9 · 1957 U.S. LEXIS 188
- Docket number
- 139
- Decided
- November 12, 1957
- Argued
- October 23, 1957
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority |
Full case caption
Alcorta v. Texas
SCDB identifiers: case 1957-004, docket 1957-004-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, prejudicial statements or evidence”
- Delli Paoli v. United States
- United States ex Rel. Darcy v. Handy
- Napue v. Illinois
- Costello v. United States
- Miller v. Pate
- Rundle v. Johnson
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- McGee v. International Life Insurance Co.
- Lambert v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Sweezy v. New Hampshire
- Chessman v. Teets
- Thomas v. Arizona
- Payne v. Arkansas
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Scales v. United States.
- Lightfoot v. United States.
- Yates v. United States
- Benanti v. United States
- Rathbun v. United States
- Moore v. Michigan
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