Bumper v. North Carolina
391 U.S. 543 · Decided June 3, 1968 · 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
Bumper v. North Carolina was decided on June 3, 1968 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, jurors and death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 391 U.S. 543 · 88 S. Ct. 1788 · 20 L. Ed. 2d 797 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 1470
- Docket number
- 1016
- Decided
- June 3, 1968
- Argued
- April 24, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (other provisions)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- 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 | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
Bumper v. North Carolina
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-148, docket 1967-148-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, jurors and death penalty”
- Witherspoon v. IllinoisLaw held unconstitutional
- Lopinson v. Pennsylvania
- Spence v. North Carolina
- Maxwell v. Bishop
- McGautha v. California
- Davis v. Georgia
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (other provisions)
- Parker v. Gladden
- Sheppard v. Maxwell
- Groppi v. WisconsinLaw held unconstitutional
- Estes v. Texas
- Irvin v. Dowd
- Levine v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Bitter v. United States
- Roberts v. United States
- Wood v. United States
- Pinto v. Pierce
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Garner v. Yeager
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