Davis v. Alaska
415 U.S. 308 · Decided February 27, 1974 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Davis v. Alaska was decided on February 27, 1974 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Confrontation of witnesses” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 415 U.S. 308 · 94 S. Ct. 1105 · 39 L. Ed. 2d 347 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 104
- Docket number
- 72-5794
- Decided
- February 27, 1974
- Argued
- December 12, 1973
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Confrontation of witnesses
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to confront and cross-examine, compulsory process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent |
Full case caption
Davis v. Alaska
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-062, docket 1973-062-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Confrontation of witnesses”
- Chambers v. Mississippi
- Tacon v. Arizona
- Webb v. Texas
- Mancusi v. Stubbs
- Schneble v. Florida
- Nelson v. O'Neil
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to confront and cross-examine, compulsory process)
- Berger v. California
- Roberts v. Russell
- Crane v. Kentucky
- Leonard Portuondo v. Ray Agard
- Clark v. Sweeney
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Taylor v. United States
- Moore v. Arizona
- Berry v. City of Cincinnati
- Lefkowitz v. TurleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Cupp v. Naughten
- United States v. Robinson
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