Neil v. Biggers
409 U.S. 188 · Decided December 6, 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
Neil v. Biggers was decided on December 6, 1972 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Habeas corpus” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 409 U.S. 188 · 93 S. Ct. 375 · 34 L. Ed. 2d 401 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 6
- Docket number
- 71-586
- Decided
- December 6, 1972
- Argued
- October 18, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Habeas corpus
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
Neil, Warden v. Biggers
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-018, docket 1972-018-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Murch v. Mottram
- Braden v. 30TH Judicial Circuit Court of KentuckyAltered precedent
- Hensley v. Municipal Court
- Preiser v. Rodriguez
- Strait v. Laird
- Humphrey v. Cady
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Lavallee v. Delle Rose
- Fontaine v. United States
- Slayton v. Smith
- Younger v. Gilmore
- Harris, U.S. District Judge (Walker v. Nelson
- Cuyler v. Sullivan
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Murch v. Mottram
- Webb v. Texas
- Cool v. United States
- Swenson v. Stidham
- One Lot Emerald Cut Stones and One Ring v. United States
- Erlenbaugh v. United States
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