De Meerleer v. Michigan
329 U.S. 663 · Decided February 3, 1947 · 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
De Meerleer v. Michigan was decided on February 3, 1947 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned 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. 663 · 67 S. Ct. 596 · 91 L. Ed. 584 · 1947 U.S. LEXIS 2695
- Docket number
- 140
- Decided
- February 3, 1947
- Argued
- January 6, 1947
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
De Meerleer v. Michigan
SCDB identifiers: case 1946-048, docket 1946-048-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Carter v. Illinois
- 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
- Carter v. Illinois
- United States v. Bruno
- Fiswick v. United States
- United States v. Sheridan
- Louisiana ex Rel. Francis v. Resweber
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