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Maxwell v. Bishop

398 U.S. 262 · Decided June 1, 1970 · 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

Maxwell v. Bishop was decided on June 1, 1970 by a vote of 6–1. The Court vacated 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 “Extra-legal jury influences, jurors and death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
398 U.S. 262 · 90 S. Ct. 1578 · 26 L. Ed. 2d 221 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 32
Docket number
13
Decided
June 1, 1970
Argued
March 4, 1969
Reargued
May 4, 1970
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Per curiam (orally argued)
Disposition
Vacated and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
6–1
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Hugo L. BlackDissentWrote an opinion
Justice William O. DouglasMajority
Justice John M. Harlan IIMajority
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Majority
Justice Potter StewartMajority
Justice Byron R. WhiteMajority
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerMajority

Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.

Full case caption

Maxwell v. Bishop, Penitentiary Superintendent

SCDB identifiers: case 1969-104, docket 1969-104-01.

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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