Beckwith v. United States
425 U.S. 341 · Decided April 21, 1976 · 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
Beckwith v. United States was decided on April 21, 1976 by a vote of 7–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miranda warnings” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 425 U.S. 341 · 96 S. Ct. 1612 · 48 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 147
- Docket number
- 74-1243
- Decided
- April 21, 1976
- Argued
- December 1, 1975
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miranda warnings
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (Miranda warnings)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Did not participate: John Paul Stevens.
Full case caption
Beckwith v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-078, docket 1975-078-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miranda warnings”
- United States v. Mandujano
- Doyle v. Ohio
- Michigan v. Mosley
- Oregon v. Mathiason
- United States v. Hale
- Oregon v. Hass
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Rose v. Hodges
- Menna v. New York
- Dillingham v. United States
- Texas v. White
- Michigan v. Mosley
- United States v. Moore
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