Cuyler v. Adams
449 U.S. 433 · Decided January 21, 1981 · 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
Cuyler v. Adams was decided on January 21, 1981 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Subconstitutional fair procedure, evidence presentation or sufficiency” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 449 U.S. 433 · 101 S. Ct. 703 · 66 L. Ed. 2d 641 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 60
- Docket number
- 78-1841
- Decided
- January 21, 1981
- Argued
- October 7, 1980
- 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
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 10, Paragraph 3 (compact clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Cuyler, Correctional Superintendent, et al. v. Adams
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-029, docket 1980-029-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Subconstitutional fair procedure, evidence presentation or sufficiency”
- Boag v. Macdougall
- Moore v. United States
- Carchman v. Nash
- Rogers v. United States
- Ring v. United States
- Demarco v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 10, Paragraph 3 (compact clause)
- United States Steel Corp. v. Multistate Tax Commission
- Texas v. New Mexico and Colorado
- New York v. New Jersey
- Texas v. New Mexico and Colorado
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colorado v. Bannister
- United States v. Difrancesco
- Watkins v. Sowders
- United States v. Morrison
- Mariscal v. United States
- United States v. Cortez
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