United States v. Brewster
408 U.S. 501 · Decided June 29, 1972 · 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 v. Brewster was decided on June 29, 1972 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental corruption or regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 408 U.S. 501 · 92 S. Ct. 2531 · 33 L. Ed. 2d 507 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 109
- Docket number
- 70-45
- Decided
- June 29, 1972
- Argued
- October 18, 1971
- Reargued
- March 20, 1972
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental corruption or regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 6, Paragraph 1 (speech or debate clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Brewster
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-172, docket 1971-172-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental corruption or regulation”
- Pipefitters Local Union No. 562 v. United States
- United States v. Bornstein
- United States v. Neifert-White Co.
- United States v. Acme Process Equipment Co.
- United States v. Johnson
- United States v. Helstoski
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 6, Paragraph 1 (speech or debate clause)
- Gravel v. United States
- Doe v. McMillan
- Eastland v. United States Servicemen's Fund
- Powell v. McCormack
- Hutchinson v. Proxmire
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Superintendent of Insurance of New York v. Bankers Life & Casualty Co.
- McClanahan v. Morauer & Hartzell, Inc.
- Norfolk & Western Railroad Co. v. Nemitz
- Chevron Oil Co. v. Huson
- Victory Carriers, Inc. v. Law
- O'Keeffe v. Aerojet-General Shipyards, Inc.
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