Doug Waddington v. Cesar Sarausad
555 U.S. 179 · Decided January 21, 2009 · 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
Doug Waddington v. Cesar Sarausad was decided on January 21, 2009 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Clarence Thomas 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
- 555 U.S. 179 · 129 S. Ct. 823 · 172 L. Ed. 2d 532 · 2009 U.S. LEXIS 867
- Docket number
- 07-772
- Decided
- January 21, 2009
- Argued
- October 15, 2008
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions
- 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 John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority |
Full case caption
Doug Waddington, Superintendent, Washington Corrections Center v. Cesar Sarausad
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-011, docket 2008-011-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions”
- Anthony Hedgpeth v. Michael Robert Pulido
- Conrad M. Black v. United States
- Arthur Andersen LLP v. United States
- Raymond L. Middleton v. Sally Marie McNeil
- William Arthur Kelly v. South Carolina
- Wesley Aaron Shafer, Jr. v. South Carolina
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Carlos Jimenez v. Nathaniel Quarterman
- Michael A. Knowles v. Alexandre Mirzayance
- Munaf v. Geren
- Jeffrey A. Beard v. Joseph J. Kindler
- Stephen Danforth v. Minnesota
- Holly Wood v. Richard F. Allen
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- James Eric Moore v. United States
- Anthony Hedgpeth v. Michael Robert Pulido
- Deondery Chambers v. United States
- Bennie Dean Herring v. United States
- Oregon v. Thomas Eugene Ice
- Steven Spears v. United States
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