Home > Great American Court Cases > Schmerber v. California

Legal Citation: 384 U.S. 757 (1966)

Petitioner
Armando Schmerber

Respondent
State of California

Petitioner's Claim
That the blood test administered during his hospital stay for injuries suffered from a traffic accident violated his Fifth Amendment right against providing self-incriminating evidence as well as his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Thomas M. McGurrin

Chief Lawyer for Respondent
Edward L. Davenport

Justices for the Court
William J. Brennan, Jr. (writing for the Court), Tom C. Clark, John Marshall Harlan II, Potter Stewart, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting
Hugo Lafayette Black, William O. Douglas, Abe Fortas, Earl Warren

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
20 June 1966