Ludecke v. Watkins
335 U.S. 160 · Decided June 21, 1948 · 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
Ludecke v. Watkins was decided on June 21, 1948 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Deportation” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 335 U.S. 160 · 68 S. Ct. 1429 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 1881 · 1948 U.S. LEXIS 1935
- Docket number
- 723
- Decided
- June 21, 1948
- Argued
- May 3, 1948
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Felix Frankfurter
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Deportation
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Dissent | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Dissent | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Ludecke v. Watkins, District Director of Immigration
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-114, docket 1947-114-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Deportation”
- Fong Haw Tan v. Phelan
- Delgadillo v. Carmichael
- United States ex Rel. Johnson v. Shaughnessy
- United States ex Rel. Eichenlaub v. Shaughnessy
- Wong Yang Sung v. McGrath
- Jordan v. de George
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Federal Communications Commission v. WJR
- National Labor Relations Board v. Donnelly Garment Co.
- Champlin Refining Co. v. United States
- Ewing v. Mytinger & Casselberry, Inc.
- Johnson v. Eisentrager
- Dennis v. United States
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Delgadillo v. Carmichael
- Patton v. Mississippi
- Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of OklahomaLaw held unconstitutional
- Oyama v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Le Maistre v. Leffers
- Fong Haw Tan v. Phelan
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