Kaufman v. United States
394 U.S. 217 · Decided March 24, 1969 · 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
Kaufman v. United States was decided on March 24, 1969 by a vote of 5–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Habeas corpus” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 394 U.S. 217 · 89 S. Ct. 1068 · 22 L. Ed. 2d 227 · 1969 U.S. LEXIS 2158
- Docket number
- 53
- Decided
- March 24, 1969
- Argued
- November 19, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Habeas corpus
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
Kaufman v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1968-056, docket 1968-056-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Rollerson v. United States
- Rodriquez v. United States
- Smith v. Yeager
- Garrison v. Patterson
- Peyton v. RoweAltered precedent
- Carafas v. LavalleeAltered precedent
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Harris, U.S. District Judge (Walker v. Nelson
- Younger v. Gilmore
- Slayton v. Smith
- Lavallee v. Delle Rose
- Fontaine v. United States
- United States v. Tateo
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
- International Terminal Operating Co., Inc. v. Nv Nederl. Amerik Stoomv Maats
- Fuller v. Alaska
- Smith v. Yeager
- Recznik v. City of Lorain
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