Eaton v. City of Tulsa
415 U.S. 697 · Decided March 25, 1974 · 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
Eaton v. City of Tulsa was decided on March 25, 1974 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed 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 “Contempt of court or Congress” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 415 U.S. 697 · 94 S. Ct. 1228 · 39 L. Ed. 2d 693 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 116
- Docket number
- 73-5925
- Decided
- March 25, 1974
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Contempt of court or Congress
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Eaton v. City of Tulsa
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-078, docket 1973-078-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Contempt of court or Congress”
- Codispoti v. Pennsylvania
- Maness v. Meyers
- United States v. Wilson
- In re Little
- Johnson v. Mississippi
- Mayberry v. Pennsylvania
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Taylor v. United States
- Moore v. Arizona
- Berry v. City of Cincinnati
- Lefkowitz v. TurleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Cupp v. Naughten
- United States v. Robinson
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