Dale Robert Yates v. Parker Evatt
500 U.S. 391 · Decided May 28, 1991 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Dale Robert Yates v. Parker Evatt was decided on May 28, 1991 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice David H. Souter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 500 U.S. 391 · 111 S. Ct. 1884 · 114 L. Ed. 2d 432 · 1991 U.S. LEXIS 2916
- Docket number
- 89-7691
- Decided
- May 28, 1991
- Argued
- January 8, 1991
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Dale Robert Yates v. Parker Evatt, Commissioner, South Carolina Department of Corrections, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1990-087, docket 1990-087-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions”
- Wayne Estelle v. Mark Owen McGuire
- Tommy Cage v. Louisiana
- Carella v. California
- John Sullivan v. Louisiana
- Clarence Victor v. Nebraska
- Mills v. Maryland
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Robert Lee Shell v. Mississippi
- Tommy Cage v. Louisiana
- R. Dobie Langenkamp v. C. A. Culp
- Raymond J. Moskal, Sr. v. United States
- Robert S. Minnick v. Mississippi
- Richard Demarest v. James
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