Darden v. Wainwright
477 U.S. 168 · Decided June 23, 1986 · 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
Darden v. Wainwright was decided on June 23, 1986 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, jurors and death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 477 U.S. 168 · 106 S. Ct. 2464 · 91 L. Ed. 2d 144 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 113
- Docket number
- 85-5319
- Decided
- June 23, 1986
- Argued
- January 13, 1986
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Darden v. Wainwright, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-123, docket 1985-123-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, jurors and death penalty”
- Lockhart v. McCree
- Gray v. Mississippi
- Buchanan v. Kentucky
- Wainwright v. Witt
- Ross v. Oklahoma
- Derrick Morgan v. Illinois
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Delaware v. Fensterer
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- Pennsylvania v. Goldhammer
- Hill v. Lockhart
- Heath v. Alabama
- Miller v. Fenton
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