Bitter v. United States
389 U.S. 15 · Decided October 16, 1967 · 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
Bitter v. United States was decided on October 16, 1967 unanimously (8–0). 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 “Cruel and unusual punishment, non-death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 389 U.S. 15 · 88 S. Ct. 6 · 19 L. Ed. 2d 15 · 1967 U.S. LEXIS 500
- Docket number
- 201
- Decided
- October 16, 1967
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, non-death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | 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 Abe Fortas | Majority |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
Bitter v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-002, docket 1967-002-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, non-death penalty”
- Powell v. Texas
- Robinson v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Estelle v. Gamble
- Ingraham v. Wright
- Alabama v. Pugh
- Rummel v. Estelle
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Roberts v. United States
- Wood v. United States
- Pinto v. Pierce
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Garner v. Yeager
- Burgett v. Texas
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