Griffin v. Illinois
351 U.S. 12 · Decided April 23, 1956 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Griffin v. Illinois was decided on April 23, 1956 by a vote of 5–4. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, transcripts” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 351 U.S. 12 · 76 S. Ct. 585 · 100 L. Ed. 2d 891 · 1956 U.S. LEXIS 1059
- Docket number
- 95
- Decided
- April 23, 1956
- Argued
- December 7, 1955
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, transcripts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Griffin et al. v. Illinois
SCDB identifiers: case 1955-066, docket 1955-066-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, transcripts”
- Farley v. United States
- Eskridge v. Washington State Board of Prison Terms and ParolesLaw held unconstitutional
- McCrary v. Indiana
- Lane v. BrownLaw held unconstitutional
- Draper v. Washington
- Norvell v. Illinois
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Florida ex Rel. Hawkins v. Board of Control of Florida
- Michel v. Louisiana
- Williams v. Georgia
- Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
- Pennsylvania v. Board of Directors of City Trusts of the City of Philadelphia
- Konigsberg v. State Bar of California
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Lucy v. Adams
- United States ex Rel. Toth v. QuarlesLaw held unconstitutional
- Reece v. Georgia
- Michel v. Louisiana
- Gonzales v. Landon
- United States v. Minker
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