Wade v. Mayo
334 U.S. 672 · Decided June 14, 1948 · 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
Wade v. Mayo was decided on June 14, 1948 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Frank Murphy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Comity, habeas corpus” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 334 U.S. 672 · 68 S. Ct. 1270 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 1647 · 1948 U.S. LEXIS 1985
- Docket number
- 40
- Decided
- June 14, 1948
- Argued
- October 13, 1947
- Reargued
- March 9, 1948
- Court era
- Vinson 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
- Frank Murphy
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Comity, habeas corpus
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Dissent |
Full case caption
Wade v. Mayo, State Prison Custodian
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-103, docket 1947-103-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Comity, habeas corpus”
- Darr v. BurfordAltered precedent
- Sweeney v. Woodall
- Irvin v. Dowd
- Slayton v. Smith
- Granberry v. Greer
- Daniel Greene v. Georgia
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Williams v. Fanning
- Globe Liquor Co., Inc. v. San Roman
- Musser v. Utah
- Chicago & Southern Air Lines, Inc. v. Waterman Steamship Corp.
- King v. Order of United Commercial Travelers of America
- Suttle v. Reich Bros. Construction Co.
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