Anderson v. Nelson
390 U.S. 523 · Decided April 1, 1968 · 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
Anderson v. Nelson was decided on April 1, 1968 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. 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
- 390 U.S. 523 · 88 S. Ct. 1133 · 20 L. Ed. 2d 81 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 2065
- Docket number
- 652 M
- Decided
- April 1, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Harmless error
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
Anderson v. Nelson, Warden
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-095, docket 1967-095-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, prejudicial statements or evidence”
- Fontaine v. California
- Pinto v. Pierce
- Giles v. Maryland
- Miller v. Pate
- Rundle v. Johnson
- Barlow v. Texas.
Cases on the same legal provision: Harmless error
- Wheaton v. California
- Chapman v. California
- Harrington v. California
- Milton v. Wainwright
- Eichel v. New York Central Railroad Co.
- Moore v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Bitter v. United States
- Roberts v. United States
- Wood v. United States
- Pinto v. Pierce
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Garner v. Yeager
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