In the case of Williams v. United States (1955), the Supreme Court ruled that a conviction for bank robbery could not be upheld if it was based on an uncorroborated confession made after arrest. The defendant, Williams, had been convicted solely on his own confession without any additional evidence to support his guilt. He appealed this decision arguing that his Fifth Amendment rights were violated as he was compelled to be a witness against himself and there wasn't sufficient corroborating evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he committed the crime. The court agreed with him and reversed his conviction stating that while confessions can play a significant role in legal proceedings, they must be supported by other independent evidence which confirms their trustworthiness.

In the dissenting opinion for Williams v. United States, Justice Hugo Black argued that the majority's decision to uphold a conviction based on evidence obtained through an illegal search and seizure was in direct violation of the Fourth Amendment. He contended that this ruling would set a dangerous precedent by allowing law enforcement officials to disregard constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures with impunity. In his view, such actions were not only unconstitutional but also undermined public trust in law enforcement agencies and threatened individual liberties. He further noted that any evidence obtained through these means should be deemed inadmissible in court as it was tainted by illegality from its inception. Therefore, he dissented from the majority’s judgment upholding Williams’ conviction.