Relford v. Commandant, U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, Ft. Leavenworth
401 U.S. 355 · Decided February 24, 1971 · 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
Relford v. Commandant, U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, Ft. Leavenworth was decided on February 24, 1971 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun 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
- 401 U.S. 355 · 91 S. Ct. 649 · 28 L. Ed. 2d 102 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 80
- Docket number
- 98
- Decided
- February 24, 1971
- Argued
- December 15, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| 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 | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Relford v. Commandant, U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, Ft. Leavenworth
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-052, docket 1970-052-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Military, active duty”
- O'Callahan v. ParkerLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Augenblick
- Cass v. United States
- Parker v. Levy
- Secretary of the Navy v. Avrech
- Schick v. Reed
Cases on the same legal provision: Uniform Code of Military Justice
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Oregon v. MitchellLaw held unconstitutional
- Perkins v. Matthews
- Kennerly v. District Court of the Ninth Judicial District of Montana
- Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp.
- Boddie v. ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
- Tate v. ShortLaw held unconstitutional
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