Doherty v. United States
404 U.S. 28 · Decided November 9, 1971 · 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
Doherty v. United States was decided on November 9, 1971 unanimously (7–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, appointment of counsel” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 404 U.S. 28 · 92 S. Ct. 175 · 30 L. Ed. 2d 149 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 15
- Docket number
- 71-5679
- Decided
- November 9, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, appointment of counsel
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Full case caption
Doherty v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-008, docket 1971-008-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, appointment of counsel”
- Schreiner v. United States
- Kitchens v. Smith
- Dennett v. Hogan
- Ross v. Moffitt
- Anders v. California
- Entsminger v. Iowa
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Engelman v. Amos
- Schreiner v. United States
- Reed v. ReedLaw held unconstitutional
- Richardson v. Belcher
- Mayer v. City of Chicago
- Britt v. North Carolina
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