Stovall v. Denno
388 U.S. 293 · Decided June 12, 1967 · 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
Stovall v. Denno was decided on June 12, 1967 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Line-up identification” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 388 U.S. 293 · 87 S. Ct. 1967 · 18 L. Ed. 2d 1199 · 1967 U.S. LEXIS 1087
- Docket number
- 254
- Decided
- June 12, 1967
- Argued
- February 16, 1967
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Line-up identification
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Retroactive application of a constitutional right
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Stovall v. Denno, Warden
SCDB identifiers: case 1966-127, docket 1966-127-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Line-up identification”
- United States v. Wade
- Gilbert v. California
- Biggers v. Tennessee
- Foster v. California
- Kirby v. Illinois
- United States v. Ash
Cases on the same legal provision: Retroactive application of a constitutional right
- Johnson v. New Jersey
- Tehan v. United States ex Rel. Shott
- Debacker v. Brainard
- Williams v. United States
- Mackey v. United States
- United States v. United States Coin & CurrencyLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Black v. United States
- Cichos v. Indiana
- O'Connor v. Ohio
- Lewis v. United States
- United States v. Fabrizio
- Hoffa 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