Swisher v. Brady
438 U.S. 204 · Decided June 26, 1978 · 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
Swisher v. Brady was decided on June 26, 1978 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Juveniles” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 438 U.S. 204 · 98 S. Ct. 2699 · 57 L. Ed. 2d 705 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 4
- Docket number
- 77-653
- Decided
- June 26, 1978
- Argued
- March 29, 1978
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Juveniles
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (double jeopardy)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Swisher, State's Attorney for Baltimore City, et al. v. Brady et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-145, docket 1977-145-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Juveniles”
- Durst v. United States
- Parham v. J.R.
- Secretary of Public Welfare of Pennsylvania v. Institutionalized Juveniles
- Breed v. Jones
- Ralston v. Robinson
- Santosky v. KramerLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (double jeopardy)
- Burks v. United StatesAltered precedent
- Greene v. Massey
- Crist v. Bretz
- Sanabria v. United States
- United States v. ScottAltered precedent
- United States v. Wheeler
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Califano v. Jobst
- Idaho Department of Employment v. Smith
- Nashville Gas Co. v. Satty
- Richmond Unified School District v. Berg
- United Air Lines, Inc. v. McMann
- Quilloin v. Walcott et Vir
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