Smith v. Illinois
390 U.S. 129 · Decided January 29, 1968 · 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. Illinois was decided on January 29, 1968 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Confrontation of witnesses” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 390 U.S. 129 · 88 S. Ct. 748 · 19 L. Ed. 2d 956 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 3131
- Docket number
- 158
- Decided
- January 29, 1968
- Argued
- December 7, 1967
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Confrontation of witnesses
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to confront and cross-examine, compulsory 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 | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Concurrence |
Full case caption
Smith v. Illinois
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-065, docket 1967-065-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Confrontation of witnesses”
- Barber v. Page
- Bruton v. United StatesAltered precedent
- Jones v. United States
- Pickens v. Oliver
- Santoro v. United States
- Nelson v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to confront and cross-examine, compulsory process)
- Roberts v. Russell
- Berger v. California
- Crane v. Kentucky
- Leonard Portuondo v. Ray Agard
- Clark v. Sweeney
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Bitter v. United States
- Roberts v. United States
- Wood v. United States
- Pinto v. Pierce
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Garner v. Yeager
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