Louisiana ex Rel. Francis v. Resweber
329 U.S. 459 · Decided January 13, 1947 · 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
Louisiana ex Rel. Francis v. Resweber was decided on January 13, 1947 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Stanley F. Reed wrote the opinion announcing the judgment 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
- 329 U.S. 459 · 67 S. Ct. 374 · 91 L. Ed. 422 · 1947 U.S. LEXIS 2777
- Docket number
- 142
- Decided
- January 13, 1947
- Argued
- November 18, 1946
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Stanley F. Reed
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Dissent | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Dissent | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Louisiana ex Rel. Francis v. Resweber, Sheriff, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1946-033, docket 1946-033-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Phyle v. Duffy
- Rosenberg v. United States
- Rosenberg v. United States
- Rosenberg v. United States.
- Caritativo v. California
- United States v. JacksonLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Kotch v. Board of River Port Pilot Commissioners for the Port of New Orleans
- Independent Warehouses, Inc. v. Scheele
- Fay v. New York
- Patton v. Mississippi
- Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of OklahomaLaw held unconstitutional
- Oyama v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Cleveland v. United States
- Carter v. Illinois
- United States v. Bruno
- Fiswick v. United States
- United States v. Sheridan
- De Meerleer v. Michigan
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