Reeves v. Alabama.
348 U.S. 891 · Decided December 6, 1954 · 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
Reeves v. Alabama. was decided on December 6, 1954 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Involuntary confession” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 348 U.S. 891 · 75 S. Ct. 214 · 99 L. Ed. 2d 700 · 1954 U.S. LEXIS 1390
- Docket number
- 120
- Decided
- December 6, 1954
- Argued
- November 15, 1954
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Involuntary confession
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority |
Full case caption
Reeves v. Alabama.
SCDB identifiers: case 1954-053, docket 1954-053-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Involuntary confession”
- Leyra v. Denno
- Pennsylvania ex Rel. Herman v. Claudy
- Stein v. New York
- Brown v. Allen
- Fikes v. Alabama
- Stroble v. California
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Chandler v. Warden Fretag
- Offutt v. United States
- National Union of Marine Cooks and Stewards v. Arnold
- Opper v. United States
- Massey v. Moore
- Holland et Ux. v. United States
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