Burger v. Kemp
483 U.S. 776 · Decided June 26, 1987 · 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
Burger v. Kemp was decided on June 26, 1987 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
- 483 U.S. 776 · 107 S. Ct. 3114 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 638 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 3047
- Docket number
- 86-5375
- Decided
- June 26, 1987
- Argued
- March 30, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Burger v. Kemp, Warden
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-162, docket 1986-162-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Wheat v. United States
- Satterwhite v. Texas
- Patterson v. Illinois
- Kimmelman v. Morrison
- Kuhlmann v. Wilson
- Michigan v. Jackson
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Pennsylvania v. Finley
- McCoy v. Court of Appeals of Wisconsin
- Strickland v. Washington
- Holloway v. Arkansas
- Moore v. Illinois
- United States v. Ash
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colorado v. Connelly
- Griffith v. Kentucky
- Colorado v. Bertine
- Connecticut v. Barrett
- California v. Brown
- Colorado v. Spring
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