Ross v. Bernhard
396 U.S. 531 · Decided February 2, 1970 · 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
Ross v. Bernhard was decided on February 2, 1970 by a vote of 5–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Jury trial right” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 396 U.S. 531 · 90 S. Ct. 733 · 24 L. Ed. 2d 729 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 3690
- Docket number
- 42
- Decided
- February 2, 1970
- Argued
- November 10, 1969
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Jury trial right
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Seventh Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal 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 | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent |
Full case caption
Ross et Al., Trustees v. Bernhard et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1969-038, docket 1969-038-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Jury trial right”
- United States v. Reynolds et Ux.
- Baldwin v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Dunn v. Louisiana
- International Terminal Operating Co., Inc. v. Nv Nederl. Amerik Stoomv Maats
- Duncan v. LouisianaAltered precedent
- Dyke v. Taylor Implement Manufacturing Co., Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: Seventh Amendment
- Neely v. Martin K. Eby Construction Co., Inc.
- Colgrove v. Battin, U.S. District Judge
- Atlantic & Gulf Stevedores, Inc. v. Ellerman Lines, Ltd.
- United States v. Yellow Cab Co.
- William Gasperini v. Center for Humanities, Inc.
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Debacker v. Brainard
- United States v. Knox
- Minor v. United States
- Morales v. New York
- Molinaro v. New Jersey
- Sigler v. Parker
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