Britt v. North Carolina
404 U.S. 226 · Decided December 13, 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
Britt v. North Carolina was decided on December 13, 1971 by a vote of 5–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, transcripts” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 404 U.S. 226 · 92 S. Ct. 431 · 30 L. Ed. 2d 400 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 7
- Docket number
- 70-5041
- Decided
- December 13, 1971
- Argued
- October 14, 1971
- 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
- 5–2
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, transcripts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Britt v. North Carolina
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-022, docket 1971-022-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, transcripts”
- Mayer v. City of Chicago
- Wade v. Wilson
- Williams v. Oklahoma City
- Gardner v. California
- Roberts v. Lavallee
- United States v. Maccollom
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Schilb v. Kuebel
- Reed v. ReedLaw held unconstitutional
- Connor v. Williams
- Bullock v. CarterLaw held unconstitutional
- Dunn v. BlumsteinAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Eisenstadt v. BairdLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Engelman v. Amos
- Doherty v. United States
- Schreiner v. United States
- Reed v. ReedLaw held unconstitutional
- Richardson v. Belcher
- Mayer v. City of Chicago
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