Caritativo v. California
357 U.S. 549 · Decided June 30, 1958 · 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
Caritativo v. California was decided on June 30, 1958 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed 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, death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 357 U.S. 549 · 78 S. Ct. 1263 · 2 L. Ed. 2d 1531 · 1958 U.S. LEXIS 670
- Docket number
- 561
- Decided
- June 30, 1958
- Argued
- May 21, 1958
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority |
Full case caption
Caritativo v. California et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1957-150, docket 1957-150-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Rosenberg v. United States
- Rosenberg v. United States
- Rosenberg v. United States.
- United States v. JacksonLaw held unconstitutional
- Pope v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- Phyle v. Duffy
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Beilan v. Board of Public Education
- Lerner v. Casey
- Ashdown v. Utah
- Crooker v. California
- Cicenia v. Lagay
- Hanson v. Denckla
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Scales v. United States.
- Lightfoot v. United States.
- Alcorta v. Texas
- Yates v. United States
- Benanti v. United States
- Rathbun v. United States
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