Corbitt v. New Jersey
439 U.S. 212 · Decided December 11, 1978 · 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
Corbitt v. New Jersey was decided on December 11, 1978 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White 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
- 439 U.S. 212 · 99 S. Ct. 492 · 58 L. Ed. 2d 466 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 144
- Docket number
- 77-5903
- Decided
- December 11, 1978
- Argued
- October 3, 1978
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Plea bargaining
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to trial by jury)
- 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 Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Corbitt v. New Jersey
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-014, docket 1978-014-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Plea bargaining”
- Bordenkircher v. Hayes
- Blackledge v. Allison
- Hutto v. Ross
- Henderson v. Morgan
- United States v. Goodwin
- Marshall v. Lonberger
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to trial by jury)
- Burch v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Ballew v. GeorgiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Ludwig v. Massachusetts
- Rose v. Hodges
- Muniz v. Hoffman
- Taylor v. LouisianaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Presnell v. Georgia
- Rakas v. Illinois
- Massachusetts v. White
- Michigan v. Doran
- Lee v. Missouri
- Scott v. Illinois
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