Hensley v. Municipal Court
411 U.S. 345 · Decided April 18, 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
Hensley v. Municipal Court was decided on April 18, 1973 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Habeas corpus” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 411 U.S. 345 · 93 S. Ct. 1571 · 36 L. Ed. 2d 294 · 1973 U.S. LEXIS 81
- Docket number
- 71-1428
- Decided
- April 18, 1973
- Argued
- January 15, 1973
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Habeas corpus
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Hensley v. Municipal Court, San Jose-Milpitas Judicial District, Santa Clara County
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-097, docket 1972-097-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Preiser v. Rodriguez
- Braden v. 30TH Judicial Circuit Court of KentuckyAltered precedent
- Neil v. Biggers
- Murch v. Mottram
- Strait v. Laird
- Humphrey v. Cady
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Fontaine v. United States
- Lavallee v. Delle Rose
- Slayton v. Smith
- Younger v. Gilmore
- Harris, U.S. District Judge (Walker v. Nelson
- Cuyler v. Sullivan
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Murch v. Mottram
- Webb v. Texas
- Cool v. United States
- Neil v. Biggers
- Swenson v. Stidham
- One Lot Emerald Cut Stones and One Ring v. United States
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