Seymour v. Superintendent of Washington State Penitentiary
368 U.S. 351 · Decided January 15, 1962 · 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
Seymour v. Superintendent of Washington State Penitentiary was decided on January 15, 1962 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indians, state jurisdiction” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 368 U.S. 351 · 82 S. Ct. 424 · 7 L. Ed. 2d 346 · 1962 U.S. LEXIS 2318
- Docket number
- 62
- Decided
- January 15, 1962
- Argued
- December 13, 1961
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians, state jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 34 Stat. 80
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Seymour v. Superintendent of Washington State Penitentiary
SCDB identifiers: case 1961-021, docket 1961-021-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians, state jurisdiction”
- Metlakatla Indian Community v. Egan
- Williams et Ux. v. Lee
- Warren Trading Post Co. v. Arizona Tax Commission
- Puyallup Tribe v. Department of Game of Washington
- Menominee Tribe of Indians v. United States
- Choctaw Nation v. Oklahoma
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Hoyt v. Florida
- Garner v. Louisiana
- Bailey v. PattersonLaw held unconstitutional
- Metlakatla Indian Community v. Egan
- Turner v. City of MemphisLaw held unconstitutional
- Baker v. CarrAltered precedent
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