Bute v. Illinois
333 U.S. 640 · Decided April 19, 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
Bute v. Illinois was decided on April 19, 1948 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harold H. Burton wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Right to counsel” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 333 U.S. 640 · 68 S. Ct. 763 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 986 · 1948 U.S. LEXIS 2290
- Docket number
- 398
- Decided
- April 19, 1948
- Argued
- February 12, 1948
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Harold H. Burton
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Right to counsel
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Dissent | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Dissent | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Bute v. Illinois
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-066, docket 1947-066-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Gryger v. Burke
- Von Moltke v. Gillies
- Uveges v. Pennsylvania
- Foster v. Illinois
- Gayes v. New York
- Gibbs v. Burke
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Entsminger v. Iowa
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
- Kirby v. Illinois
- United States v. Ash
- Moore v. Illinois
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Rodgers v. United States
- Blumenthal v. United States
- Marino v. Ragen
- Sealfon v. United States
- United States v. Di re
- Haley v. Ohio
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