Sims v. Georgia
385 U.S. 538 · Decided January 23, 1967 · 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
Sims v. Georgia was decided on January 23, 1967 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Involuntary confession” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 385 U.S. 538 · 87 S. Ct. 639 · 17 L. Ed. 2d 593 · 1967 U.S. LEXIS 2451
- Docket number
- 251
- Decided
- January 23, 1967
- Argued
- December 6, 1966
- 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
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Involuntary confession
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Full case caption
Sims v. Georgia
SCDB identifiers: case 1966-041, docket 1966-041-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Involuntary confession”
- Clewis v. Texas
- Davis v. North Carolina
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Sims v. Georgia
- Brooks v. Florida
- Greenwald v. Wisconsin
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Spencer v. Texas
- Miller v. Pate
- Barlow v. Texas.
- Stoneham v. Texas.
- Giles v. Maryland
- Specht v. Patterson
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Black v. United States
- Cichos v. Indiana
- O'Connor v. Ohio
- Lewis v. United States
- United States v. Fabrizio
- Hoffa v. United States
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