Swenson v. Stidham
409 U.S. 224 · Decided December 7, 1972 · 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
Swenson v. Stidham was decided on December 7, 1972 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Involuntary confession” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 409 U.S. 224 · 93 S. Ct. 359 · 34 L. Ed. 2d 431 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 5
- Docket number
- 71-224
- Decided
- December 7, 1972
- Argued
- October 11, 1972
- 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
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Involuntary confession
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Swenson, Warden v. Stidham
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-021, docket 1972-021-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Involuntary confession”
- Lavallee v. Delle Rose
- Fontaine v. United States
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Lego v. Twomey
- Procunier v. Atchley
- Monks v. New Jersey
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Murch v. Mottram
- Webb v. Texas
- Cool v. United States
- Neil v. Biggers
- One Lot Emerald Cut Stones and One Ring v. United States
- Erlenbaugh 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