Smith v. United States
337 U.S. 137 · Decided May 31, 1949 · 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
Smith v. United States was decided on May 31, 1949 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Stanley F. Reed wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Self-incrimination, immunity from prosecution” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 337 U.S. 137 · 69 S. Ct. 1000 · 93 L. Ed. 2d 1264 · 1949 U.S. LEXIS 2939
- Docket number
- 292
- Decided
- May 31, 1949
- Argued
- March 4, 1949
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Stanley F. Reed
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Self-incrimination, immunity from prosecution
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 56 Stat. 23
- 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 | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Smith v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1948-081, docket 1948-081-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Self-incrimination, immunity from prosecution”
- Shapiro v. United States
- United States v. Hoffman
- Adams v. Maryland
- Ullmann v. United States
- Mills v. Louisiana
- Reina v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Upshaw v. United States
- Uveges v. Pennsylvania
- McDonald v. United States
- Michelson v. United States
- Frazier v. United States
- Fisher v. Pace
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