Dutton v. Evans
400 U.S. 74 · Decided December 15, 1970 · 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
Dutton v. Evans was decided on December 15, 1970 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Confrontation of witnesses” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 400 U.S. 74 · 91 S. Ct. 210 · 27 L. Ed. 2d 213 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 2
- Docket number
- 10
- Decided
- December 15, 1970
- Argued
- October 15, 1969
- Reargued
- October 15, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- 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
- 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 | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Dutton, Warden v. Evans
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-013, docket 1970-013-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Confrontation of witnesses”
- Nelson v. O'Neil
- California v. Green
- Illinois v. Allen
- Schneble v. Florida
- Mancusi v. Stubbs
- Harrington v. California
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)
- Colombo v. New York
- Thompson v. United States
- North Carolina v. Alford
- Wyman v. James
- Procunier v. Atchley
- Mayberry v. Pennsylvania
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