McKeiver v. Pennsylvania
403 U.S. 528 · Decided June 21, 1971 · 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
McKeiver v. Pennsylvania was decided on June 21, 1971 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Juveniles” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 403 U.S. 528 · 91 S. Ct. 1976 · 29 L. Ed. 2d 647 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 26
- Docket number
- 322
- Decided
- June 21, 1971
- Argued
- December 9, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Juveniles
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to trial by jury)
- 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 | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
McKeiver et al. v. Pennsylvania
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-139, docket 1970-139-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Juveniles”
- Santana v. Texas
- Richard S. v. City of New York
- In re WinshipLaw held unconstitutional
- Dorszynski v. United States
- In re Fischer.
- In re Whittington
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to trial by jury)
- Johnson v. Louisiana
- Apodaca v. Oregon
- Baldwin v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Chaffin v. Stynchcombe
- Destefano v. Woods
- Codispoti v. Pennsylvania
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Oregon v. MitchellLaw held unconstitutional
- Perkins v. Matthews
- Kennerly v. District Court of the Ninth Judicial District of Montana
- Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp.
- Relford v. Commandant, U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, Ft. Leavenworth
- Boddie v. ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
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