Palmer v. Ashe
342 U.S. 134 · Decided December 11, 1951 · 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
Palmer v. Ashe was decided on December 11, 1951 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Right to counsel” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 342 U.S. 134 · 72 S. Ct. 191 · 96 L. Ed. 2d 154 · 1951 U.S. LEXIS 1248
- Docket number
- 38
- Decided
- December 11, 1951
- Argued
- November 5, 1951
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Right to counsel
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Palmer v. Ashe, Warden
SCDB identifiers: case 1951-015, docket 1951-015-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Quicksall v. Michigan
- Gibbs v. Burke
- Chandler v. Warden Fretag
- Massey v. Moore
- Uveges v. Pennsylvania
- Gryger v. Burke
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Entsminger v. Iowa
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
- Kirby v. Illinois
- United States v. Ash
- Moore v. Illinois
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Stack v. Boyle
- United States v. Carignan
- United States v. Jeffers
- Gallegos v. Nebraska
- Rochin v. California
- United States v. Hayman
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