Powell v. McCormack
395 U.S. 486 · Decided June 16, 1969 · 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
Powell v. McCormack was decided on June 16, 1969 by a vote of 7–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Mootness” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 395 U.S. 486 · 89 S. Ct. 1944 · 23 L. Ed. 2d 491 · 1969 U.S. LEXIS 3103
- Docket number
- 138
- Decided
- June 16, 1969
- Argued
- April 24, 1969
- Court era
- Warren 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
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Mootness
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 6, Paragraph 1 (speech or debate clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
Powell et al. v. McCormack, Speaker of the House of Representatives, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1968-127, docket 1968-127-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Mootness”
- Noyd v. Bond
- Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. O'Connell
- Sears v. Carpet
- Sanks v. Georgia
- Durham v. United States
- Jacobs v. New York
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 6, Paragraph 1 (speech or debate clause)
- United States v. Brewster
- Gravel v. United States
- United States v. Johnson
- Doe v. McMillan
- Eastland v. United States Servicemen's Fund
- United States v. Helstoski
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Federal Power Commission v. United Gas Pipe Line Co.
- Mengelkoch v. Industrial Welfare Commission
- Universal Interpretive Shuttle Corp. v. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Commission
- Palmieri v. Florida
- Glover v. St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Co.
- Gorun v. Fall
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