Bostic v. United States
402 U.S. 547 · Decided May 24, 1971 · 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
Bostic v. United States was decided on May 24, 1971 unanimously (9–0). SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “No merits, writ improvidently granted” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 402 U.S. 547 · 91 S. Ct. 2174 · 29 L. Ed. 2d 102 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 43
- Docket number
- 5250
- Decided
- May 24, 1971
- Argued
- April 21, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- No merits, writ improvidently granted
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Writ improvidently granted
- 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 | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Full case caption
Bostic v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-108, docket 1970-108-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “No merits, writ improvidently granted”
- Triangle Improvement Council v. Ritchie
- Bruno v. Pennsylvania
- Odom v. United States
- Iowa Beef Packers, Inc. v. Thompson
- Hester v. Illinois
- Murel v. Baltimore City Criminal Court
Cases on the same legal provision: Writ improvidently granted
- Johnson v. United States
- Piccirillo v. New York
- McClanahan v. Morauer & Hartzell, Inc.
- Duncan v. Tennessee
- Moon v. Maryland
- Monks v. New Jersey
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- United States v. City of Chicago
- Odom v. United States
- Fornaris v. Ridge Tool Co.
- Arnold Tours, Inc. v. Camp
- Port of Boston Marine Terminal Assn. v. Rederiaktiebolaget Transatlantic
- Bruno v. Pennsylvania
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