Carol Howes v. Randall Lee Fields
565 U.S. 499 · Decided February 21, 2012 · 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
Carol Howes v. Randall Lee Fields was decided on February 21, 2012 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miranda warnings” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 565 U.S. 499 · 132 S. Ct. 1181 · 182 L. Ed. 2d 17 · 2012 U.S. LEXIS 1077
- Docket number
- 10-680
- Decided
- February 21, 2012
- Argued
- October 4, 2011
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Samuel A. Alito Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miranda warnings
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (Miranda warnings)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Full case caption
Carol Howes, Warden, Petitioner v. Randall Lee Fields
SCDB identifiers: case 2011-023, docket 2011-023-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miranda warnings”
- David Bobby v. Archie Dixon
- J. D. B. v. North Carolina
- Mary Berghuis v. Van Chester Thompkins
- Maryland v. Michael Blaine Shatzer, Sr.
- Florida v. Kevin Dewayne Powell
- Missouri v. Patrice Seibert.
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Javier Cavazos v. Shirley Ree Smith
- David Bobby v. Archie Dixon
- Eric Greene v. Jon Fisher
- Marcus Hardy v. Irving L. Cross
- Margaret Minneci v. Richard Lee Pollard
- Juan Smith v. Burl Cain
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