Roberts v. Russell
392 U.S. 293 · Decided June 10, 1968 · 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
Roberts v. Russell was decided on June 10, 1968 by a vote of 7–2. The Court vacated 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 “Retroactivity of new rights” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 392 U.S. 293 · 88 S. Ct. 1921 · 20 L. Ed. 2d 1100 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 1353
- Docket number
- 920 M
- Decided
- June 10, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Retroactivity of new rights
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to confront and cross-examine, compulsory process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
Roberts v. Russell
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-169, docket 1967-169-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Retroactivity of new rights”
- Destefano v. Woods
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
- Fuller v. Alaska
- Berger v. California
- Desist v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to confront and cross-examine, compulsory process)
- Bruton v. United StatesAltered precedent
- Barber v. Page
- Smith v. Illinois
- Washington v. TexasLaw held unconstitutional
- Illinois v. Allen
- California v. Green
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Bitter v. United States
- Roberts v. United States
- Wood v. United States
- Pinto v. Pierce
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Garner v. Yeager
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