Bullock v. South Carolina
365 U.S. 292 · Decided February 20, 1961 · 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
Bullock v. South Carolina was decided on February 20, 1961 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
- 365 U.S. 292 · 81 S. Ct. 686 · 5 L. Ed. 2d 570 · 1961 U.S. LEXIS 1689
- Docket number
- 78
- Decided
- February 20, 1961
- Argued
- January 9, 1961
- Court era
- Warren 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
- Earl Warren
- 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 Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Bullock v. South Carolina
SCDB identifiers: case 1960-045, docket 1960-045-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “No merits, writ improvidently granted”
- Kimbrough v. United States
- Atchley v. California.
- Binks Manufacturing Co. v. Ransburg Electro-Coating Corp.
- Baldonado v. California
- Needelman v. United States
- Phillips v. New York
Cases on the same legal provision: Writ improvidently granted
- Newsom v. Smyth
- Benz v. New York State Thruway Authority
- Rudolph et Ux. v. United States
- The Monrosa v. Carbon Black Export, Inc.
- Williams v. Zuckert
- Wilson v. Loew's Incorporated
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Kimbrough v. United States
- United States v. Fruehauf
- Schnell v. Peter Eckrich & Sons, Inc.
- Newsom v. Smyth
- Verret v. Oil Transport Co., Inc.
- Atchley v. California.
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