Benjamin Lee Lilly v. Virginia
527 U.S. 116 · Decided June 10, 1999 · 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
Benjamin Lee Lilly v. Virginia was decided on June 10, 1999 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Confrontation of witnesses” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 527 U.S. 116 · 119 S. Ct. 1887 · 144 L. Ed. 2d 117 · 1999 U.S. LEXIS 4006
- Docket number
- 98-5881
- Decided
- June 10, 1999
- Argued
- March 29, 1999
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Confrontation of witnesses
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to confront and cross-examine, compulsory process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Benjamin Lee Lilly v. Virginia
SCDB identifiers: case 1998-070, docket 1998-070-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Confrontation of witnesses”
- United States v. Edward G. Scheffer
- Kevin D. Gray v. Maryland
- Michael D. Crawford v. WashingtonAltered precedent
- Adrian Martell Davis v. Washington
- Randall D. White v. Illinois
- Michigan v. Nolan K. Lucas
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to confront and cross-examine, compulsory process)
- Leonard Portuondo v. Ray Agard
- Crane v. Kentucky
- Clark v. Sweeney
- Berger v. California
- Roberts v. Russell
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Minnesota v. Wayne Thomas Carter
- Patrick Knowles v. IowaLaw held unconstitutional
- Arthur Calderon v. Russell Coleman
- Francois Holloway v. United States
- Manuel Dejesus Peguero v. United States
- Terry Stewart v. Walter Lagrand
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