A deadlock would have resulted in Ali being jailed for draft evasion and, since no opinions are published for deadlocked decisions, he would have never known why he had lost. A compromise was proposed by Justice Potter Stewart, in which Ali's conviction would be reversed, citing a technical error by the Justice Department. This gradually won unanimous assent from the eight voting justices, all of whom, with Justice Marshall's recusal, were white.
A deadlock would have led to Ali being imprisoned for draft evasion, and since no opinions are published for deadlocked decisions, he would not have known why he had been found guilty. A compromise was proposed by Justice Potter Stewart, in which Ali's conviction would be overturned, citing a technical error by the Department of Justice. This proposal eventually gained unanimous agreement from the eight voting justices, all of whom, with Justice Marshall's recusal, were white.