In re Ruffalo
390 U.S. 544 · Decided April 8, 1968 · 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 Ruffalo was decided on April 8, 1968 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Bar admission, disbarment, and discipline” in the Attorneys area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 390 U.S. 544 · 88 S. Ct. 1222 · 20 L. Ed. 2d 117 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 2000
- Docket number
- 73
- Decided
- April 8, 1968
- Argued
- March 4, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Bar admission, disbarment, and discipline
- Issue area
- Attorneys
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence |
Did not participate: Potter Stewart.
Full case caption
In re Ruffalo
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-098, docket 1967-098-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Bar admission, disbarment, and discipline”
- Sperry v. Florida ex Rel. Florida Bar
- Theard v. United States
- Schware v. Board of Bar Examiners of New Mexico
- Konigsberg v. State Bar of California
- In re Levy.
- In re Snyder
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Norfolk & Western Railway Co. v. Missouri State Tax Commission
- Johnson v. Florida
- Sims v. Georgia
- Brooks v. Florida
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Johnson v. Bennett
Same Term, same area (Attorneys)
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