Gaca v. United States
411 U.S. 618 · Decided May 7, 1973 · 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
Gaca v. United States was decided on May 7, 1973 by a vote of 7–2. 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, costs or filing fees” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 411 U.S. 618 · 93 S. Ct. 2156 · 36 L. Ed. 2d 541 · 1973 U.S. LEXIS 76
- Docket number
- 72-6011
- Decided
- May 7, 1973
- 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
- 7–2
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, costs or filing fees
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- 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 | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent |
Full case caption
Gaca v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-109, docket 1972-109-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, costs or filing fees”
- Ortwein v. Schwab
- United States v. Kras
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- Huffman v. Boersen
- Fuller v. Oregon
- Schilb v. Kuebel
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Philpott v. Essex County Welfare BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- District of Columbia v. Carter
- United States v. Kras
- Goosby v. Osser
- Gomez v. PerezLaw held unconstitutional
- Mahan v. HowellLaw held unconstitutional
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