Steffel v. Thompson
415 U.S. 452 · Decided March 19, 1974 · 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
Steffel v. Thompson was decided on March 19, 1974 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Comity, criminal procedure” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 415 U.S. 452 · 94 S. Ct. 1209 · 39 L. Ed. 2d 505 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 112
- Docket number
- 72-5581
- Decided
- March 19, 1974
- Argued
- November 13, 1973
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Comity, criminal procedure
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Steffel v. Thompson et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-072, docket 1973-072-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Comity, criminal procedure”
- Kugler v. Helfant
- Ellis v. Dyson
- Dyson v. Stein
- Bokulich v. Jury Commission of Greene County
- United States v. Gillock
- Pacileo v. Walker
Cases on the same legal provision: Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Super Tire Engineering Co. v. McCorkle
- Defunis v. Odegaard
- O'Shea v. Littleton
- Vermont v. New York
- Gilligan v. Morgan
- United States v. New Jersey State Lottery Commission
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Satiacum v. Washington
- Paschall v. Christie-Stewart, Inc.
- Chicago Mercantile Exchange v. Deaktor
- Foley v. Blair & Co., Inc.
- Zahn v. International Paper Co.
- Schmidt v. Lessard
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