Beck v. Washington
369 U.S. 541 · Decided May 14, 1962 · 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
Beck v. Washington was decided on May 14, 1962 by a vote of 4–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, pretrial publicity” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 369 U.S. 541 · 82 S. Ct. 955 · 8 L. Ed. 2d 98 · 1962 U.S. LEXIS 2210
- Docket number
- 40
- Decided
- May 14, 1962
- Argued
- November 14, 1961
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–3
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Tom C. Clark
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Extra-legal jury influences, pretrial publicity
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- 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 William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Did not participate: Felix Frankfurter, Byron R. White.
Full case caption
Beck v. Washington
SCDB identifiers: case 1961-065, docket 1961-065-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, pretrial publicity”
- Irvin v. Dowd
- Rideau v. Louisiana
- Marshall v. United States
- Sheppard v. Maxwell
- Whitney v. Florida
- Groppi v. WisconsinLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- In re Green
- Gallegos v. Colorado
- Taylor v. Louisiana
- Oyler v. Boles
- Garner v. Louisiana
- Cramp v. Board of Public Instruction of Orange CountyLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Hamilton v. Alabama
- Hodges v. United States
- Hill v. United States
- Mitchell v. United States
- Chewning v. Cunningham
- Machibroda v. United States
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