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In re Spencer

397 U.S. 817 · Decided May 4, 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

In re Spencer was decided on May 4, 1970 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Contempt of court or Congress” in the Criminal Procedure area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
397 U.S. 817 · 90 S. Ct. 1483 · 25 L. Ed. 2d 804 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 1911
Docket number
513
Decided
May 4, 1970
Argued
April 28, 1970
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Equally divided vote
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
4–4
How the case arrived
Appeal
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Hugo L. BlackEqually divided vote
Justice William O. DouglasEqually divided vote
Justice John M. Harlan IIEqually divided vote
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Equally divided vote
Justice Potter StewartEqually divided vote
Justice Byron R. WhiteEqually divided vote
Justice Thurgood MarshallEqually divided vote
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerEqually divided vote

Full case caption

In re Spencer

SCDB identifiers: case 1969-092, docket 1969-092-01.

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Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)

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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