Johnson v. Mississippi
403 U.S. 212 · Decided June 7, 1971 · 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. Mississippi was decided on June 7, 1971 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. 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
- 403 U.S. 212 · 91 S. Ct. 1778 · 29 L. Ed. 2d 423 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 35
- Docket number
- 5485
- Decided
- June 7, 1971
- Argued
- April 21, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Full case caption
Johnson v. Mississippi
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-129, docket 1970-129-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Contempt of court or Congress”
- Mayberry v. Pennsylvania
- In re Little
- In re Spencer
- Frank v. United States
- Eaton v. City of Tulsa
- Bloom v. Illinois
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Connell v. HigginbothamLaw held unconstitutional
- Coates v. City of CincinnatiLaw held unconstitutional
- Bell v. BursonLaw held unconstitutional
- Palmer v. City of EuclidLaw held unconstitutional
- McGautha v. California
- Boddie v. ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colombo v. New York
- Thompson v. United States
- North Carolina v. Alford
- Dutton v. Evans
- Wyman v. James
- Procunier v. Atchley
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