Carter v. Illinois
329 U.S. 173 · Decided December 9, 1946 · 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
Carter v. Illinois was decided on December 9, 1946 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Right to counsel” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 329 U.S. 173 · 67 S. Ct. 216 · 91 L. Ed. 172 · 1946 U.S. LEXIS 1657
- Docket number
- 36
- Decided
- December 9, 1946
- Argued
- November 15, 1946
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Felix Frankfurter
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Right to counsel
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Dissent | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Carter v. Illinois
SCDB identifiers: case 1946-011, docket 1946-011-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- De Meerleer v. Michigan
- Foster v. Illinois
- Gayes v. New York
- Von Moltke v. Gillies
- Bute v. Illinois
- Gryger v. Burke
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Entsminger v. Iowa
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
- Kirby v. Illinois
- United States v. Ash
- Moore v. Illinois
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Cleveland v. United States
- United States v. Bruno
- Fiswick v. United States
- United States v. Sheridan
- Louisiana ex Rel. Francis v. Resweber
- De Meerleer v. Michigan
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