Wilwording v. Swenson
404 U.S. 249 · Decided December 14, 1971 · 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
Wilwording v. Swenson was decided on December 14, 1971 by a vote of 6–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Habeas corpus” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 404 U.S. 249 · 92 S. Ct. 407 · 30 L. Ed. 2d 418 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 6
- Docket number
- 70-5308
- Decided
- December 14, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–1
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Habeas corpus
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- 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 | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Wilwording et al. v. Swenson, Warden
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-024, docket 1971-024-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Slayton v. Smith
- Younger v. Gilmore
- Lavallee v. Delle Rose
- Fontaine v. United States
- Harris, U.S. District Judge (Walker v. Nelson
- United States v. Tateo
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Harris v. Washington
- Cruz v. Hauck
- Santobello v. New York
- Picard v. Connor
- United States v. Campos-Serrano
- United States v. Marion
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