Douglas v. California
372 U.S. 353 · Decided March 18, 1963 · 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
Douglas v. California was decided on March 18, 1963 by a vote of 6–3. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, appointment of counsel” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 372 U.S. 353 · 83 S. Ct. 814 · 9 L. Ed. 2d 811 · 1963 U.S. LEXIS 1943
- Docket number
- 34
- Decided
- March 18, 1963
- Argued
- January 16, 1963
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, appointment of counsel
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Douglas et al. v. California
SCDB identifiers: case 1962-059, docket 1962-059-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, appointment of counsel”
- Luckman v. Dunbar
- Holmes v. California
- Symons v. California
- Williams v. California
- Collins v. California.
- Tiller v. California
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Gray v. SandersAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Lane v. BrownLaw held unconstitutional
- Draper v. Washington
- Johnson v. Virginia
- Peterson v. City of GreenvilleLaw held unconstitutional
- Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Kennedy v. Mendoza-MartinezLaw held unconstitutional
- Schneider v. Rusk
- Gray v. SandersAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Lane v. BrownLaw held unconstitutional
- Draper v. Washington
- Luckman v. Dunbar
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