Jenkins v. Delaware
395 U.S. 213 · Decided June 2, 1969 · 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
Jenkins v. Delaware was decided on June 2, 1969 by a vote of 5–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Retroactivity of new rights” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 395 U.S. 213 · 89 S. Ct. 1677 · 23 L. Ed. 2d 253 · 1969 U.S. LEXIS 1432
- Docket number
- 748
- Decided
- June 2, 1969
- Argued
- March 5, 1969
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Retroactivity of new rights
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
Jenkins v. Delaware
SCDB identifiers: case 1968-110, docket 1968-110-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Retroactivity of new rights”
- Halliday v. United States
- Desist v. United States
- Kaiser v. New York
- Berger v. California
- Debacker v. Brainard
- Fuller v. Alaska
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Leary v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Covington
- United States v. Knox
- Minor v. United States
- United States v. Kordel
- Brady v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
- International Terminal Operating Co., Inc. v. Nv Nederl. Amerik Stoomv Maats
- Fuller v. Alaska
- Smith v. Yeager
- Recznik v. City of Lorain
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