Ross v. Moffitt
417 U.S. 600 · Decided June 17, 1974 · 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. Moffitt was decided on June 17, 1974 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, appointment of counsel” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 417 U.S. 600 · 94 S. Ct. 2437 · 41 L. Ed. 2d 341 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 76
- Docket number
- 73-786
- Decided
- June 17, 1974
- Argued
- April 22, 1974
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, appointment of counsel
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Ross et al. v. Moffitt
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-142, docket 1973-142-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, appointment of counsel”
- Dennett v. Hogan
- Schreiner v. United States
- Doherty v. United States
- Kitchens v. Smith
- Anders v. California
- Entsminger v. Iowa
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Taylor v. Hayes
- Wolff v. McDonnell
- Blackledge v. Perry
- Calero-Toledo v. Pearson Yacht Leasing Co.
- Mitchell v. W. T. Grant Co.Altered precedent
- Donnelly v. Dechristoforo
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- United States Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Hibi
- Dennett v. Hogan
- Department of Game of Washington v. Puyallup Tribe
- Kusper v. PontikesLaw held unconstitutional
- Espinoza et Vir v. Farah Manufacturing Co., Inc.
- O'Brien v. SkinnerLaw 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