Johnson v. United States
401 U.S. 846 · Decided April 5, 1971 · 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
Johnson v. United States was decided on April 5, 1971 by a vote of 6–2. SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 401 U.S. 846 · 91 S. Ct. 1258 · 28 L. Ed. 2d 523 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 62
- Docket number
- 5247
- Decided
- April 5, 1971
- Argued
- March 24, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Writ improvidently granted
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Did not participate: Warren E. Burger.
Full case caption
Johnson v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-081, docket 1970-081-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Hunter v. Tennessee
- Furman v. GeorgiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Stewart v. Massachusetts
- Pope v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. JacksonLaw held unconstitutional
- Gregg v. GeorgiaAltered precedent
Cases on the same legal provision: Writ improvidently granted
- Triangle Improvement Council v. Ritchie
- Bostic v. United States
- Piccirillo v. New York
- Bruno v. Pennsylvania
- Odom v. United States
- McClanahan v. Morauer & Hartzell, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colombo v. New York
- Thompson v. United States
- North Carolina v. Alford
- Dutton v. Evans
- Wyman v. James
- Procunier v. Atchley
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