Dennis v. United States
339 U.S. 162 · Decided March 27, 1950 · 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
Dennis v. United States was decided on March 27, 1950 by a vote of 5–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Sherman Minton wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, miscellaneous” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 339 U.S. 162 · 70 S. Ct. 519 · 94 L. Ed. 2d 734 · 1950 U.S. LEXIS 2178
- Docket number
- 14
- Decided
- March 27, 1950
- Argued
- November 7, 1949
- 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
- 5–2
- Majority opinion
- Sherman Minton
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Extra-legal jury influences, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to trial by jury)
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas, Tom C. Clark.
Full case caption
Dennis v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1949-057, docket 1949-057-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, miscellaneous”
- Morford v. United States
- Frazier v. United States
- Fay v. New York
- Leonard v. United States
- Estes v. Texas
- Chandler v. Florida
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to trial by jury)
- Turner v. Louisiana
- Cheff v. Schnackenberg, U.S. Circuit Judge
- Duncan v. LouisianaAltered precedent
- Bloom v. Illinois
- Dyke v. Taylor Implement Manufacturing Co., Inc.
- Destefano v. Woods
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Bryan v. United States
- District of Columbia v. Little
- United States v. RabinowitzAltered precedent
- Morford v. United States
- United States v. Bryan
- United States v. Fleischman
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