United States v. Freed
401 U.S. 601 · Decided April 5, 1971 · 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. Freed was decided on April 5, 1971 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Self-incrimination (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 401 U.S. 601 · 91 S. Ct. 1112 · 28 L. Ed. 2d 356 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 57
- Docket number
- 345
- Decided
- April 5, 1971
- Argued
- January 11, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Self-incrimination (general)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | 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 | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Freed et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-071, docket 1970-071-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Self-incrimination (general)”
- California v. Byers
- Williams v. FloridaAltered precedent
- United States v. Kordel
- Brooks v. TennesseeLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Knox
- Minor v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Harris v. New York
- Brady v. United States
- Kastigar v. United States
- Zicarelli v. New Jersey State Commission of Investigation
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Jenkins v. Delaware
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colombo v. New York
- Thompson v. United States
- North Carolina v. Alford
- Dutton v. Evans
- Wyman v. James
- Procunier v. Atchley
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