Spomer v. Littleton
414 U.S. 514 · Decided January 15, 1974 · 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
Spomer v. Littleton was decided on January 15, 1974 unanimously (9–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Mootness” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 414 U.S. 514 · 94 S. Ct. 685 · 38 L. Ed. 2d 694 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 149
- Docket number
- 72-955
- Decided
- January 15, 1974
- Argued
- October 17, 1973
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Mootness
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Spomer, State's Attorney of Alexander County, Illinois v. Littleton et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-038, docket 1973-038-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Mootness”
- Foley v. Blair & Co., Inc.
- Patterson v. Warner
- Super Tire Engineering Co. v. McCorkle
- Indiana Employment Security Division v. Burney
- Board of School Commissioners of the City of Indianapolis v. Jacobs
- Dillard v. Industrial Commission of Virginia
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Satiacum v. Washington
- Paschall v. Christie-Stewart, Inc.
- Chicago Mercantile Exchange v. Deaktor
- Foley v. Blair & Co., Inc.
- Zahn v. International Paper Co.
- Schmidt v. Lessard
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