Massiah v. United States
377 U.S. 201 · Decided May 18, 1964 · 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
Massiah v. United States was decided on May 18, 1964 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Right to counsel” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 377 U.S. 201 · 84 S. Ct. 1199 · 12 L. Ed. 2d 246 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 1277
- Docket number
- 199
- Decided
- May 18, 1964
- Argued
- March 3, 1964
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Right to counsel
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- 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 Tom C. Clark | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Massiah v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1963-116, docket 1963-116-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Escobedo v. IllinoisAltered precedent
- McLeod v. Ohio.
- Crews v. Wainwright
- Banks v. Wainwright
- Newsome v. North Carolina
- Pickelsimer v. Wainwright
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Entsminger v. Iowa
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
- Kirby v. Illinois
- United States v. Ash
- Moore v. Illinois
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Newsome v. North Carolina
- Pickelsimer v. Wainwright
- Barnes v. North Carolina
- Panico v. United States
- Evola v. United States
- Crews v. Wainwright
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