Cuyler v. Sullivan
446 U.S. 335 · Decided May 12, 1980 · 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. Sullivan was decided on May 12, 1980 by a vote of 8–1. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. 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
- 446 U.S. 335 · 100 S. Ct. 1708 · 64 L. Ed. 2d 333 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 96
- Docket number
- 78-1832
- Decided
- May 12, 1980
- Argued
- February 20, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Right to counsel
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Cuyler, Correctional Superintendent, et al. v. Sullivan
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-083, docket 1979-083-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Baldasar v. Illinois
- United States v. Henry
- United States v. Morrison
- Lassiter v. Department of Social Services of Durham County
- Scott v. Illinois
- Wainwright v. Torna
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Mabry v. Klimas
- Sumner v. Mata
- United States v. Addonizio
- Duckworth v. Serrano
- Rose v. Lundy
- Sumner v. Mata
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Pilon v. Bordenkircher
- Perrin v. United States
- Ybarra v. Illinois
- Thompson v. United States
- United States v. Bailey
- Tague v. Louisiana
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