Smith v. Bennett
365 U.S. 708 · Decided April 17, 1961 · 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
Smith v. Bennett was decided on April 17, 1961 unanimously (9–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, costs or filing fees” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 365 U.S. 708 · 81 S. Ct. 895 · 6 L. Ed. 2d 39 · 1961 U.S. LEXIS 1296
- Docket number
- 174
- Decided
- April 17, 1961
- Argued
- March 28, 1961
- Court era
- Warren 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
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, costs or filing fees
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- 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 Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Smith v. Bennett, Warden
SCDB identifiers: case 1960-071, docket 1960-071-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, costs or filing fees”
- Douglas v. Green
- Burns v. Ohio
- Boddie v. ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
- Schilb v. Kuebel
- Huffman v. Boersen
- James v. StrangeLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Burton v. Wilmington Parking Authority
- Anderson v. Alabama.
- McGowan v. Maryland
- Gallagher v. Crown Kosher Super Market of Massachusetts, Inc.
- Two Guys From Harrison-Allentown, Inc. v. McGinley
- Braunfeld v. Brown
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Gomillion v. LightfootLaw held unconstitutional
- Chaunt v. United States
- Polites v. United States
- Boynton v. Virginia
- Bush v. Orleans Parish School BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- Monroe v. Pape
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