Baldasar v. Illinois
446 U.S. 222 · Decided April 22, 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
Baldasar v. Illinois was decided on April 22, 1980 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Right to counsel” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 446 U.S. 222 · 100 S. Ct. 1585 · 64 L. Ed. 2d 169 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 124
- Docket number
- 77-6219
- Decided
- April 22, 1980
- Argued
- November 26, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Right to counsel
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- 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 | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence |
Full case caption
Baldasar v. Illinois
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-076, docket 1979-076-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Cuyler v. Sullivan
- United States v. Henry
- United States v. Morrison
- Lassiter v. Department of Social Services of Durham County
- Scott v. Illinois
- Wainwright v. Torna
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Holloway v. Arkansas
- Moore v. Illinois
- Strickland v. Washington
- United States v. Ash
- Pennsylvania v. Finley
- Kirby v. Illinois
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