California v. Byers
402 U.S. 424 · Decided May 17, 1971 · 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
California v. Byers was decided on May 17, 1971 by a vote of 5–4. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Self-incrimination (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 402 U.S. 424 · 91 S. Ct. 1535 · 29 L. Ed. 2d 9 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 128
- Docket number
- 75
- Decided
- May 17, 1971
- Argued
- December 8, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Self-incrimination (general)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Full case caption
California v. Byers
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-100, docket 1970-100-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Self-incrimination (general)”
- United States v. Freed
- Williams v. FloridaAltered precedent
- Brooks v. TennesseeLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Kordel
- United States v. Knox
- Minor v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Harris v. New York
- Kastigar v. United States
- Zicarelli v. New Jersey State Commission of Investigation
- Brady v. United States
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Jenkins v. Delaware
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colombo v. New York
- Thompson v. United States
- North Carolina v. Alford
- Dutton v. Evans
- Wyman v. James
- Procunier v. Atchley
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