United States v. Johnson
383 U.S. 169 · Decided February 24, 1966 · 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. Johnson was decided on February 24, 1966 unanimously (7–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John M. Harlan II 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
- 383 U.S. 169 · 86 S. Ct. 749 · 15 L. Ed. 2d 681 · 1966 U.S. LEXIS 2213
- Docket number
- 25
- Decided
- February 24, 1966
- Argued
- November 11, 1965
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John M. Harlan II
- Opinion assigned by
- Tom C. Clark
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Did not participate: Hugo L. Black, Byron R. White.
Full case caption
United States v. Johnson
SCDB identifiers: case 1965-054, docket 1965-054-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental corruption or regulation”
- United States v. Acme Process Equipment Co.
- United States v. Neifert-White Co.
- United States v. Mississippi Valley Generating Co.
- Pipefitters Local Union No. 562 v. United States
- United States v. Brewster
- Barr v. Matteo
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 6, Paragraph 1 (speech or debate clause)
- Powell v. McCormack
- Gravel v. United States
- Doe v. McMillan
- Eastland v. United States Servicemen's Fund
- Hutchinson v. Proxmire
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gondeck v. Pan American World Airways, Inc.
- Leh v. General Petroleum Corp.
- Seaboard Air Line Railroad Co. v. United States
- United States v. Maryland for the Use of Meyer
- Walker Process Equipment, Inc. v. Food Machinery & Chemical Corp.
- United Gas Improvement Co. v. Callery Properties, 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