Reid v. Covert
351 U.S. 487 · Decided June 11, 1956 · 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
Reid v. Covert was decided on June 11, 1956 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Military, active duty” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 351 U.S. 487 · 76 S. Ct. 880 · 100 L. Ed. 2d 1352 · 1956 U.S. LEXIS 680
- Docket number
- 701
- Decided
- June 11, 1956
- Argued
- May 3, 1956
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Stanley F. Reed
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Military, active duty
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Uniform Code of Military Justice
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority |
Full case caption
Reid, Superintendent, District of Columbia Jail, v. Covert
SCDB identifiers: case 1955-097, docket 1955-097-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Military, active duty”
- Kinsella v. Krueger
- Jackson v. Taylor
- Fowler v. Wilkinson
- Reid v. CovertAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Wilson v. Girard
- United States v. Brown
Cases on the same legal provision: Uniform Code of Military Justice
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Lucy v. Adams
- United States ex Rel. Toth v. QuarlesLaw held unconstitutional
- Reece v. Georgia
- Michel v. Louisiana
- Gonzales v. Landon
- United States v. Minker
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