Kinsella v. United States ex Rel. Singleton
361 U.S. 234 · Decided January 18, 1960 · 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
Kinsella v. United States ex Rel. Singleton was decided on January 18, 1960 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Military, active duty” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 361 U.S. 234 · 80 S. Ct. 297 · 4 L. Ed. 2d 268 · 1960 U.S. LEXIS 1742
- Docket number
- 22
- Decided
- January 18, 1960
- Argued
- October 22, 1959
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Military, active duty
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Uniform Code of Military Justice
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Kinsella, Warden, v. United States ex Rel. Singleton
SCDB identifiers: case 1959-020, docket 1959-020-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Military, active duty”
- Grisham v. HaganLaw held unconstitutional
- McElroy v. United States ex Rel. GuagliardoLaw held unconstitutional
- Lee v. Madigan
- Marshall v. Brucker
- Harmon v. Brucker
- Beard v. Stahr
Cases on the same legal provision: Uniform Code of Military Justice
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Grisham v. HaganLaw held unconstitutional
- McElroy v. United States ex Rel. GuagliardoLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. RainesAltered precedent
- United States v. Thomas
- Willis v. United States
- Mackey v. Mendoza-Martinez
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