Loper v. Beto
405 U.S. 473 · Decided March 22, 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
Loper v. Beto was decided on March 22, 1972 by a vote of 5–4. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, prejudicial statements or evidence” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 405 U.S. 473 · 92 S. Ct. 1014 · 31 L. Ed. 2d 374 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 73
- Docket number
- 70-5388
- Decided
- March 22, 1972
- Argued
- January 13, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Loper v. Beto, Corrections Director, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-080, docket 1971-080-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, prejudicial statements or evidence”
- Donnelly v. Dechristoforo
- Fontaine v. California
- Anderson v. Nelson
- Pinto v. Pierce
- Giles v. Maryland
- Miller v. Pate
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Rabe v. Washington
- Stanley v. IllinoisLaw held unconstitutional
- Papachristou v. City of JacksonvilleLaw held unconstitutional
- Smith v. Florida
- D. H. Overmyer Co., Inc. v. Frick Co.
- Swarb v. Lennox
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