Blackledge v. Allison
431 U.S. 63 · Decided May 2, 1977 · 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
Blackledge v. Allison was decided on May 2, 1977 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Plea bargaining” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 431 U.S. 63 · 97 S. Ct. 1621 · 52 L. Ed. 2d 136 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 80
- Docket number
- 75-1693
- Decided
- May 2, 1977
- Argued
- February 22, 1977
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Plea bargaining
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Did not participate: William H. Rehnquist.
Full case caption
Blackledge, Warden, et al. v. Allison
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-095, docket 1976-095-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Plea bargaining”
- Hutto v. Ross
- Bordenkircher v. Hayes
- Henderson v. Morgan
- Corbitt v. New Jersey
- Blackledge v. Perry
- Tollett v. Henderson
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- United States v. Morrison
- United States v. Rose
- United States v. Dieter
- United States v. Pomponio
- United States v. Sanford
- Moore v. United States
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