Lego v. Twomey
404 U.S. 477 · Decided January 12, 1972 · 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
Lego v. Twomey was decided on January 12, 1972 by a vote of 4–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Involuntary confession” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 404 U.S. 477 · 92 S. Ct. 619 · 30 L. Ed. 2d 618 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 100
- Docket number
- 70-5037
- Decided
- January 12, 1972
- Argued
- November 11, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Involuntary confession
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr., William H. Rehnquist.
Full case caption
Lego v. Twomey, Warden
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-039, docket 1971-039-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Involuntary confession”
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Swenson v. Stidham
- Procunier v. Atchley
- Lavallee v. Delle Rose
- Fontaine v. United States
- Monks v. New Jersey
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Groppi v. Leslie
- In re Little
- Lindsey v. NormetLaw held unconstitutional
- Papachristou v. City of JacksonvilleLaw held unconstitutional
- Smith v. Florida
- D. H. Overmyer Co., Inc. v. Frick Co.
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Harris v. Washington
- Cruz v. Hauck
- Wilwording v. Swenson
- Santobello v. New York
- Picard v. Connor
- United States v. Campos-Serrano
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