North Carolina v. Alford
400 U.S. 25 · Decided November 23, 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
North Carolina v. Alford was decided on November 23, 1970 by a vote of 6–3. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Plea bargaining” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 400 U.S. 25 · 91 S. Ct. 160 · 27 L. Ed. 2d 162 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 3
- Docket number
- 14
- Decided
- November 23, 1970
- Argued
- November 17, 1969
- Reargued
- October 14, 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Plea bargaining
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Full case caption
North Carolina v. Alford
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-007, docket 1970-007-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Plea bargaining”
- Brady v. United States
- McMann v. Richardson
- Parker v. North Carolina
- Santobello v. New York
- Boykin v. Alabama
- Dukes v. Warden
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Wisconsin v. ConstantineauLaw held unconstitutional
- Mayberry v. Pennsylvania
- Boddie v. ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
- McGautha v. California
- Daniel v. Goliday
- Bell v. BursonLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colombo v. New York
- Thompson v. United States
- Dutton v. Evans
- Wyman v. James
- Procunier v. Atchley
- Mayberry v. Pennsylvania
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