Johnson v. Louisiana
406 U.S. 356 · Decided May 22, 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
Johnson v. Louisiana was decided on May 22, 1972 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Jury trial right” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 406 U.S. 356 · 92 S. Ct. 1620 · 32 L. Ed. 2d 152 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 55
- Docket number
- 69-5035
- Decided
- May 22, 1972
- Argued
- March 1, 1971
- Reargued
- January 10, 1972
- Court era
- Burger 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
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Jury trial right
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to trial by jury)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Johnson v. Louisiana
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-110, docket 1971-110-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Jury trial right”
- Apodaca v. Oregon
- Chaffin v. Stynchcombe
- Curtis v. Loether
- Dunn v. Louisiana
- Baldwin v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Pernell v. Southall Realty
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to trial by jury)
- McKeiver v. Pennsylvania
- Codispoti v. Pennsylvania
- Taylor v. LouisianaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Destefano v. Woods
- Bloom v. Illinois
- Cheff v. Schnackenberg, U.S. Circuit Judge
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