Spano v. New York
360 U.S. 315 · Decided June 22, 1959 · 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
Spano v. New York was decided on June 22, 1959 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren 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
- 360 U.S. 315 · 79 S. Ct. 1202 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 1265 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 751
- Docket number
- 582
- Decided
- June 22, 1959
- Argued
- April 27, 1959
- Court era
- Warren 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
- Earl Warren
- 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 | Concurrence | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Concurrence | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Spano v. New York
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-116, docket 1958-116-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Involuntary confession”
- United States ex Rel. Jennings v. Ragen
- Blackburn v. Alabama
- Ashdown v. Utah
- Crooker v. California
- Cicenia v. Lagay
- Thomas v. Arizona
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Safeway Stores, Inc. v. Oklahoma Retail Grocers Association, Inc.
- Napue v. Illinois
- Scull v. Virginia ex Rel. Committee on Law Reform and Racial Activities
- Northwestern States Portland Cement Co. v. Minnesota
- Nelson v. County of Los Angeles
- Thompson v. City of Louisville
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Hawkins v. United States
- Ladner v. United StatesAltered precedent
- United States ex Rel. Jennings v. Ragen
- Draper v. United States
- Greene v. United States
- Heflin 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