Best v. Humboldt Placer Mining Co.
371 U.S. 334 · Decided January 14, 1963 · 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
Best v. Humboldt Placer Mining Co. was decided on January 14, 1963 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Comity, removal cases and foreign tribunals” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 371 U.S. 334 · 83 S. Ct. 379 · 9 L. Ed. 2d 350 · 1963 U.S. LEXIS 2262
- Docket number
- 52
- Decided
- January 14, 1963
- Argued
- December 10, 1962
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Comity, removal cases and foreign tribunals
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Abstention doctrine
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Best et al. v. Humboldt Placer Mining Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1962-029, docket 1962-029-01.
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- Martin v. Creasy
Cases on the same legal provision: Abstention doctrine
- Turner v. City of MemphisLaw held unconstitutional
- Hostetter v. Idlewild Bon Voyage Liquor Corp.Law held unconstitutional
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Inc. v. Bennett
- Harrison v. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- City of Meridian v. Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Co.
- Zwickler v. Koota
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- United States v. Haley
- Garvin v. Cochran
- Ioannou v. New York
- Wetzel v. Ohio
- Southern Construction Co., Inc. v. Pickard
- Burlington Truck Lines, Inc. 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