Spevack v. Klein
385 U.S. 511 · Decided January 16, 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
Spevack v. Klein was decided on January 16, 1967 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Self-incrimination (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 385 U.S. 511 · 87 S. Ct. 625 · 17 L. Ed. 2d 574 · 1967 U.S. LEXIS 2504
- Docket number
- 62
- Decided
- January 16, 1967
- Argued
- November 7, 1966
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Self-incrimination (general)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Spevack v. Klein
SCDB identifiers: case 1966-039, docket 1966-039-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Self-incrimination (general)”
- Garrity v. New Jersey
- Zuckerman v. Greason
- Kaye v. Co-Ordinating Committee on Discipline of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York
- Chapman v. California
- Phillips et Vir v. California
- Wheaton v. California
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- United States v. Wade
- Gilbert v. California
- Miranda v. ArizonaAltered precedent
- Stevens v. Marks
- Harrison v. United States
- Gardner v. Broderick
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