In Blackburn v. Alabama (1956), the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of petitioner, James Blackburn, who had been convicted for robbery in an Alabama state court. The case centered on whether his confession was obtained voluntarily or through coercion and thus violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. During interrogation, Blackburn suffered a mental breakdown and confessed to crimes he did not remember committing after regaining consciousness. He was denied access to counsel during this period as well. The Supreme Court held that under these circumstances, it could not be said that his confessions were voluntary; they were rather products of a mind overborne by official pressure and fear-induced psychosis which impaired his capacity for rational judgment. Therefore, admitting them into evidence against him constituted a violation of due process rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.

In the dissenting opinion for Blackburn v. Alabama, it was argued that the majority's decision to overturn Blackburn's conviction based on a coerced confession ignored substantial evidence supporting his guilt and failed to give due weight to state court findings. The dissenters believed that there was no clear proof of coercion in obtaining Blackburn's confession; rather, they saw indications of an individual who confessed willingly after being informed of his rights. They also pointed out inconsistencies in the defendant’s claims about his mental condition at the time he made confessions. Furthermore, they criticized the majority for not deferring more to state courts' ability and responsibility to evaluate such matters fairly and accurately under their own laws without federal interference unless absolutely necessary. In essence, they felt this case did not meet those standards warranting intervention by Supreme Court as per Due Process Clause of Fourteenth Amendment.