Destefano v. Woods
392 U.S. 631 · Decided June 17, 1968 · 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
Destefano v. Woods was decided on June 17, 1968 by a vote of 5–4. 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 “Retroactivity of new rights” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 392 U.S. 631 · 88 S. Ct. 2093 · 20 L. Ed. 2d 1308 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 1144
- Docket number
- 559
- Decided
- June 17, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Retroactivity of new rights
- 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 | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Jurisdictional dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
Destefano v. Woods, Sheriff
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-185, docket 1967-185-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Retroactivity of new rights”
- Roberts v. Russell
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
- Fuller v. Alaska
- Berger v. California
- Desist v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to trial by jury)
- Duncan v. LouisianaAltered precedent
- Bloom v. Illinois
- Dyke v. Taylor Implement Manufacturing Co., Inc.
- Baldwin v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Cheff v. Schnackenberg, U.S. Circuit Judge
- McKeiver v. Pennsylvania
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Bitter v. United States
- Roberts v. United States
- Wood v. United States
- Pinto v. Pierce
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Garner v. Yeager
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