Polites v. United States
364 U.S. 426 · Decided November 21, 1960 · 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
Polites v. United States was decided on November 21, 1960 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Immigration, loss of citizenship or denaturalization” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 364 U.S. 426 · 81 S. Ct. 202 · 5 L. Ed. 2d 173 · 1960 U.S. LEXIS 1866
- Docket number
- 25
- Decided
- November 21, 1960
- Argued
- October 18, 1960
- Court era
- Warren 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
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Felix Frankfurter
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Polites v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1960-012, docket 1960-012-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Immigration, loss of citizenship or denaturalization”
- Chaunt v. United States
- Costello v. United States
- United States v. Lucchese
- Rusk v. Cort
- Kennedy v. Mendoza-MartinezLaw held unconstitutional
- Schneider v. Rusk
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Conner v. Simler
- Poller v. Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc.
- United States v. Diebold
- Beacon Theatres, Inc. v. Westover, U.S. District Judge
- Link v. Wabash Railroad Co.
- Foman v. Davis
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Gomillion v. LightfootLaw held unconstitutional
- Chaunt v. United States
- Boynton v. Virginia
- Bush v. Orleans Parish School BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- Monroe v. Pape
- Costello 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