Woody v. United States.
359 U.S. 118 · Decided March 23, 1959 · 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
Woody v. United States. was decided on March 23, 1959 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 359 U.S. 118 · 79 S. Ct. 721 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 673 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 1304
- Docket number
- 135
- Decided
- March 23, 1959
- Argued
- January 14, 1959
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Unspecifiable what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Equally divided vote | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: Potter Stewart.
Full case caption
Woody v. United States.
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-064, docket 1958-064-01.
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