In re Little
404 U.S. 553 · Decided January 24, 1972 · 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
In re Little was decided on January 24, 1972 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Contempt of court or Congress” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 404 U.S. 553 · 92 S. Ct. 659 · 30 L. Ed. 2d 708 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 97
- Docket number
- 71-244
- Decided
- January 24, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Contempt of court or Congress
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
In re Little
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-047, docket 1971-047-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Contempt of court or Congress”
- Johnson v. Mississippi
- Mayberry v. Pennsylvania
- In re Spencer
- Eaton v. City of Tulsa
- Codispoti v. Pennsylvania
- Frank v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Groppi v. Leslie
- Lego v. Twomey
- Lindsey v. NormetLaw held unconstitutional
- Papachristou v. City of JacksonvilleLaw held unconstitutional
- Smith v. Florida
- D. H. Overmyer Co., Inc. v. Frick Co.
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Harris v. Washington
- Cruz v. Hauck
- Wilwording v. Swenson
- Santobello v. New York
- Picard v. Connor
- United States v. Campos-Serrano
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