Gutknecht v. United States
396 U.S. 295 · Decided January 19, 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
Gutknecht v. United States was decided on January 19, 1970 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Military, draftees” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 396 U.S. 295 · 90 S. Ct. 506 · 24 L. Ed. 2d 532 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 3147
- Docket number
- 71
- Decided
- January 19, 1970
- Argued
- November 20, 1969
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Military, draftees
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Selective Service statutes
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Gutknecht v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1969-024, docket 1969-024-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Military, draftees”
- Breen v. Selective Service Local Board No. 16
- Kolden v. Selective Service Local Board No. 4
- Toussie v. United States
- McKart v. United States
- Duvernay v. United States.
- Oestereich v. Selective Service System Local Board No. 11
Cases on the same legal provision: Selective Service statutes
- Welsh v. United States
- Clark v. Gabriel
- United States v. Weller
- Gillette v. United States
- Ehlert v. United States
- Astrup v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education
- Brockington v. Rhodes
- Hall et Ux. v. Beals
- Carter v. West Feliciana Parish School Board
- Sullivan v. Little Hunting Park, Inc.
- Dowell v. Board of Education of Oklahoma City Public Schools
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