United States v. Tucker
404 U.S. 443 · Decided January 11, 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. Tucker was decided on January 11, 1972 by a vote of 5–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Right to counsel” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 404 U.S. 443 · 92 S. Ct. 589 · 30 L. Ed. 2d 592 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 101
- Docket number
- 70-86
- Decided
- January 11, 1972
- Argued
- November 11, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–2
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Right to counsel
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr., William H. Rehnquist.
Full case caption
United States v. Tucker
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-037, docket 1971-037-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Argersinger v. Hamlin
- Milton v. Wainwright
- Gagnon v. ScarpelliLaw held unconstitutional
- Coleman v. Alabama
- Skinner v. Louisiana
- Faretta v. California
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Kirby v. Illinois
- United States v. Ash
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
- Entsminger v. Iowa
- Moore v. Illinois
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Harris v. Washington
- Cruz v. Hauck
- Wilwording v. Swenson
- Santobello v. New York
- Picard v. Connor
- United States v. Campos-Serrano
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