Mayberry v. Pennsylvania
400 U.S. 455 · Decided January 20, 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
Mayberry v. Pennsylvania was decided on January 20, 1971 unanimously (9–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the 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
- 400 U.S. 455 · 91 S. Ct. 499 · 27 L. Ed. 2d 532 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 89
- Docket number
- 121
- Decided
- January 20, 1971
- Argued
- December 17, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- 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 | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Full case caption
Mayberry v. Pennsylvania
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-026, docket 1970-026-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Contempt of court or Congress”
- Johnson v. Mississippi
- In re Spencer
- In re Little
- Frank v. United States
- Bloom v. Illinois
- Germann v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Wisconsin v. ConstantineauLaw held unconstitutional
- Boddie v. ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
- North Carolina v. Alford
- McGautha v. California
- Bell v. BursonLaw held unconstitutional
- Palmer v. City of EuclidLaw 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