Irvin v. Dowd
359 U.S. 394 · Decided May 4, 1959 · 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
Irvin v. Dowd was decided on May 4, 1959 by a vote of 5–4. 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 “Comity, habeas corpus” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 359 U.S. 394 · 79 S. Ct. 825 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 900 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 1086
- Docket number
- 63
- Decided
- May 4, 1959
- Argued
- January 15, 1959
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Comity, habeas corpus
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Irvin v. Dowd, Warden, Indiana State Prison
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-086, docket 1958-086-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Comity, habeas corpus”
- Sweeney v. Woodall
- Darr v. BurfordAltered precedent
- Wade v. Mayo
- Slayton v. Smith
- Granberry v. Greer
- Daniel Greene v. Georgia
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Carbo v. United States
- Bushnell v. Ellis
- Hodges v. United States
- Mitchell v. United States
- Machibroda v. United States
- Jones v. Cunningham
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Hinkle v. New England Mutual Insurance Company of Boston
- Hotel Employees Local No. 255 v. Leedom
- Flemming v. Florida Citrus Exchange
- Leedom v. Kyne
- Rogers v. Calumet National Bank of Hammond
- Herrmann v. Rogers
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