Hoffman v. United States
341 U.S. 479 · Decided May 28, 1951 · 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
Hoffman v. United States was decided on May 28, 1951 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Self-incrimination (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 341 U.S. 479 · 71 S. Ct. 814 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 1118 · 1951 U.S. LEXIS 1802
- Docket number
- 513
- Decided
- May 28, 1951
- Argued
- April 25, 1951
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Self-incrimination (general)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
Hoffman v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1950-087, docket 1950-087-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Self-incrimination (general)”
- Rogers v. United States
- Blau v. United States
- United States v. Bryan
- United States v. Fleischman
- United States v. Kahriger
- Lewis v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- United States v. Carignan
- Gallegos v. Nebraska
- Rochin v. California
- Stroble v. California
- Brown v. Allen
- Stein v. New York
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- United States v. Sanchez
- Gusik v. Schilder
- Blau v. United States
- Dowd v. United States ex Rel. Cook
- Blau v. United States
- Rogers 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