In re Gault
387 U.S. 1 · Decided May 15, 1967 · 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
In re Gault was decided on May 15, 1967 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Abe Fortas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Juveniles” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 387 U.S. 1 · 87 S. Ct. 1428 · 18 L. Ed. 2d 527 · 1967 U.S. LEXIS 1478
- Docket number
- 116
- Decided
- May 15, 1967
- Argued
- December 16, 1966
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Abe Fortas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Juveniles
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
In re Gault et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1966-094, docket 1966-094-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Juveniles”
- In re Whittington
- In re Fischer.
- Kent v. United States
- In re WinshipLaw held unconstitutional
- Santana v. Texas
- Richard S. v. City of New York
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Long v. District Court of Iowa in and for Lee County
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Errico
- Fortson v. Morris
- Woodby v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- Swann v. AdamsLaw held unconstitutional
- Whitus v. Georgia
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