United States v. Jackson
390 U.S. 570 · Decided April 8, 1968 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
United States v. Jackson was decided on April 8, 1968 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 390 U.S. 570 · 88 S. Ct. 1209 · 20 L. Ed. 2d 138 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 2002
- Docket number
- 85
- Decided
- April 8, 1968
- Argued
- December 7, 1967
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 1201
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
United States v. Jackson et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-101, docket 1967-101-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Pope v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- Johnson v. United States
- Hunter v. Tennessee
- Furman v. GeorgiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Stewart v. Massachusetts
- Gregg v. GeorgiaAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Bitter v. United States
- Roberts v. United States
- Wood v. United States
- Pinto v. Pierce
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Garner v. Yeager
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