Adams v. Texas
448 U.S. 38 · Decided June 25, 1980 · 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
Adams v. Texas was decided on June 25, 1980 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, jurors and death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 448 U.S. 38 · 100 S. Ct. 2521 · 65 L. Ed. 2d 581 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 139
- Docket number
- 79-5175
- Decided
- June 25, 1980
- Argued
- March 24, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (other provisions)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Adams v. Texas
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-138, docket 1979-138-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, jurors and death penalty”
- Davis v. Georgia
- Wainwright v. Witt
- Lockhart v. McCree
- Darden v. Wainwright
- Gray v. Mississippi
- Buchanan v. Kentucky
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (other provisions)
- Gannett Co., Inc. v. Depasquale
- Harlin v. Missouri
- Duren v. MissouriAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Waller v. Georgia
- Patton v. Yount
- Holbrook v. Flynn
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Pilon v. Bordenkircher
- Perrin v. United States
- Ybarra v. Illinois
- Thompson v. United States
- United States v. Bailey
- Tague v. Louisiana
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