Boykin v. Alabama
395 U.S. 238 · Decided June 2, 1969 · 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
Boykin v. Alabama was decided on June 2, 1969 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Plea bargaining” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 395 U.S. 238 · 89 S. Ct. 1709 · 23 L. Ed. 2d 274 · 1969 U.S. LEXIS 1434
- Docket number
- 642
- Decided
- June 2, 1969
- Argued
- March 4, 1969
- 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
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Plea bargaining
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
Boykin v. Alabama
SCDB identifiers: case 1968-112, docket 1968-112-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Plea bargaining”
- McCarthy v. United States
- Brady v. United States
- McMann v. Richardson
- Parker v. North Carolina
- North Carolina v. Alford
- Santobello v. New York
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Sniadach v. Family Finance Corp. of Bay ViewLaw held unconstitutional
- Boulden v. Holman
- Foster v. California
- Gregory v. City of Chicago
- Johnson v. Bennett
- Goldberg v. Kelly
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
- International Terminal Operating Co., Inc. v. Nv Nederl. Amerik Stoomv Maats
- Fuller v. Alaska
- Smith v. Yeager
- Recznik v. City of Lorain
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