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Younger v. Harris

401 U.S. 37 · Decided February 23, 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

Younger v. Harris was decided on February 23, 1971 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Comity, First Amendment” in the Judicial Power area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
401 U.S. 37 · 91 S. Ct. 746 · 27 L. Ed. 2d 669 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 136
Docket number
2
Decided
February 23, 1971
Argued
April 1, 1969
Reargued
April 29, 1970
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
8–1
Majority opinion
Hugo L. Black
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Appeal
Issue area
Judicial Power
Legal provision
Abstention doctrine
Type of law
Other
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Hugo L. BlackMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice William O. DouglasDissentWrote an opinion
Justice John M. Harlan IIConcurrence
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Special concurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Potter StewartConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Byron R. WhiteSpecial concurrence
Justice Thurgood MarshallSpecial concurrence
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerMajority
Justice Harry A. BlackmunMajority

Full case caption

Younger, District Attorney of Los Angeles County v. Harris et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1970-035, docket 1970-035-01.

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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