Wade v. Wilson
396 U.S. 282 · Decided January 13, 1970 · 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. Wilson was decided on January 13, 1970 by a vote of 7–1. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, transcripts” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 396 U.S. 282 · 90 S. Ct. 501 · 24 L. Ed. 2d 470 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 3244
- Docket number
- 55
- Decided
- January 13, 1970
- Argued
- November 12, 1969
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, transcripts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority |
Full case caption
Wade v. Wilson, Warden, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1969-022, docket 1969-022-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, transcripts”
- Williams v. Oklahoma City
- Gardner v. California
- Mayer v. City of Chicago
- Britt v. North Carolina
- Roberts v. Lavallee
- Long v. District Court of Iowa in and for Lee County
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education
- Brockington v. Rhodes
- Hall et Ux. v. Beals
- Carter v. West Feliciana Parish School Board
- Sullivan v. Little Hunting Park, Inc.
- Dowell v. Board of Education of Oklahoma City Public Schools
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