United States ex Rel. Smith v. Baldi
344 U.S. 561 · Decided February 9, 1953 · 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
United States ex Rel. Smith v. Baldi was decided on February 9, 1953 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Stanley F. Reed wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Plea bargaining” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 344 U.S. 561 · 73 S. Ct. 391 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 549 · 1953 U.S. LEXIS 2392
- Docket number
- 31
- Decided
- February 9, 1953
- Argued
- April 29, 1952
- Reargued
- October 13, 1952
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Stanley F. Reed
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Plea bargaining
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
United States ex Rel. Smith v. Baldi, Superintendent, Philadelphia County Prison
SCDB identifiers: case 1952-044, docket 1952-044-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Plea bargaining”
- Machibroda v. United States
- Nagelberg v. United States
- McCarthy v. United States
- Boykin v. Alabama
- Brady v. United States
- McMann v. Richardson
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Leland v. Oregon
- Frisbie v. Collins
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- Perkins v. Benguet Consolidated Mining Co.
- Standard Oil Co. v. PeckAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Walters v. City of St. Louis
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- United States v. Beacon Brass Co., Inc.
- Schwartz v. Texas
- Gordon v. United States
- Brock v. North Carolina
- Brown v. Allen
- Lutwak 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