Pitchess v. Davis
421 U.S. 482 · Decided May 19, 1975 · 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
Pitchess v. Davis was decided on May 19, 1975 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Habeas corpus” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 421 U.S. 482 · 95 S. Ct. 1748 · 44 L. Ed. 2d 317 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 64
- Docket number
- 74-1128
- Decided
- May 19, 1975
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- 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 J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas.
Full case caption
Pitchess, Sheriff v. Davis
SCDB identifiers: case 1974-103, docket 1974-103-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Lefkowitz v. Newsome
- Francisco v. Gathright
- Wingo v. Wedding
- Davis v. United States
- Francis v. Henderson
- Stone v. Powell
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Fontaine v. United States
- Lavallee v. Delle Rose
- Slayton v. Smith
- Younger v. Gilmore
- Cuyler v. Sullivan
- Harris, U.S. District Judge (Walker v. Nelson
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Ring v. United States
- Francisco v. Gathright
- Maness v. Meyers
- Test v. United States
- Daniel v. Louisiana
- Gerstein v. Pugh
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