Brewer v. Williams
430 U.S. 387 · Decided March 23, 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
Brewer v. Williams was decided on March 23, 1977 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Right to counsel” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 430 U.S. 387 · 97 S. Ct. 1232 · 51 L. Ed. 2d 424 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 64
- Docket number
- 74-1263
- Decided
- March 23, 1977
- Argued
- October 4, 1976
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- 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. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Brewer, Warden v. Williams
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-074, docket 1976-074-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Weatherford v. Bursey
- Geders v. United States
- Middendorf v. Henry
- Faretta v. California
- Herring v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Scott v. Illinois
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Moore v. Illinois
- Holloway v. Arkansas
- United States v. Ash
- Kirby v. Illinois
- Strickland v. Washington
- McConnell v. Rhay
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