United States v. Kras
409 U.S. 434 · Decided January 10, 1973 · 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. Kras was decided on January 10, 1973 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, costs or filing fees” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 409 U.S. 434 · 93 S. Ct. 631 · 34 L. Ed. 2d 626 · 1973 U.S. LEXIS 162
- Docket number
- 71-749
- Decided
- January 10, 1973
- Argued
- October 18, 1972
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, costs or filing fees
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Kras
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-034, docket 1972-034-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, costs or filing fees”
- Ortwein v. Schwab
- Gaca v. United States
- James v. StrangeLaw held unconstitutional
- Huffman v. Boersen
- Schilb v. Kuebel
- Fuller v. Oregon
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (equal protection)
- Frontiero et Vir v. RichardsonLaw held unconstitutional
- Richardson v. Belcher
- Morton v. Mancari
- Jimenez v. WeinbergerLaw held unconstitutional
- Weinberger v. WiesenfeldLaw held unconstitutional
- Weinberger v. Salfi
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Philpott v. Essex County Welfare BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- District of Columbia v. Carter
- Goosby v. Osser
- Gomez v. PerezLaw held unconstitutional
- Mahan v. HowellLaw held unconstitutional
- Tillman v. Wheaton-Haven Recreation Assn., 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