Tate v. Short
401 U.S. 395 · Decided March 2, 1971 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Tate v. Short was decided on March 2, 1971 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, payment of fine” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 401 U.S. 395 · 91 S. Ct. 668 · 28 L. Ed. 2d 130 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 74
- Docket number
- 324
- Decided
- March 2, 1971
- Argued
- January 14, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, payment of fine
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Tate v. Short
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-054, docket 1970-054-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, payment of fine”
- Williams v. IllinoisLaw held unconstitutional
- Morris v. Schoonfield
- Bearden v. Georgia
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Labine v. Vincent
- North Carolina State Board of Education v. SwannLaw held unconstitutional
- James v. Valtierra
- Oregon v. MitchellLaw held unconstitutional
- Gordon v. Lance
- Whitcomb v. ChavisLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Oregon v. MitchellLaw held unconstitutional
- Perkins v. Matthews
- Kennerly v. District Court of the Ninth Judicial District of Montana
- Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp.
- Relford v. Commandant, U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, Ft. Leavenworth
- Boddie v. ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
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