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Foster v. Illinois

332 U.S. 134 · Decided June 23, 1947 · 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

Foster v. Illinois was decided on June 23, 1947 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Felix Frankfurter 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
332 U.S. 134 · 67 S. Ct. 1716 · 91 L. Ed. 1955 · 1947 U.S. LEXIS 2025
Docket number
540
Decided
June 23, 1947
Argued
May 8, 1947
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
Felix Frankfurter
Opinion assigned by
Fred M. Vinson
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue (SCDB)
Right to counsel
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Hugo L. BlackDissentWrote an opinion
Justice Stanley F. ReedMajority
Justice Felix FrankfurterMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice William O. DouglasDissent
Justice Frank MurphyDissent
Justice Robert H. JacksonMajority
Justice Wiley B. RutledgeDissentWrote an opinion
Justice Harold H. BurtonMajority
Chief Justice Fred M. VinsonMajority

Full case caption

Foster et al. v. Illinois

SCDB identifiers: case 1946-128, docket 1946-128-01.

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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