Beecher v. Alabama
389 U.S. 35 · Decided October 23, 1967 · 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
Beecher v. Alabama was decided on October 23, 1967 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Involuntary confession” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 389 U.S. 35 · 88 S. Ct. 189 · 19 L. Ed. 2d 35 · 1967 U.S. LEXIS 435
- Docket number
- 92 M
- Decided
- October 23, 1967
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Involuntary confession
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
Beecher v. Alabama
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-009, docket 1967-009-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Involuntary confession”
- Sims v. Georgia
- Brooks v. Florida
- Greenwald v. Wisconsin
- Clewis v. Texas
- Darwin v. Connecticut
- Harrison v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Norfolk & Western Railway Co. v. Missouri State Tax Commission
- In re Gault
- In re Ruffalo
- Specht v. Patterson
- Johnson v. Florida
- Giles v. Maryland
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Bitter v. United States
- Roberts v. United States
- Wood v. United States
- Pinto v. Pierce
- Garner v. Yeager
- Burgett v. Texas
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