Edwards v. Vannoy
141 S. Ct. 1547 · Decided May 17, 2021 · 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
Edwards v. Vannoy was decided on May 17, 2021 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Retroactivity of new rights” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
- CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
- Supreme Court of the United States — slip opinions, October Term 2020
- Supreme Court of the United States — docket 19-5807
Case details
- Citations
- 141 S. Ct. 1547 · 209 L. Ed. 2d 651 · 2021 U.S. LEXIS 2584
- Docket number
- 19-5807
- Decided
- May 17, 2021
- Argued
- December 2, 2020
- Court era
- Roberts 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
- Brett M. Kavanaugh
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Retroactivity of new rights
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 9, Paragraph 2 (suspension of the writ of habeas corpus)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Neil M. Gorsuch | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Amy Coney Barrett | Majority |
Full case caption
Edwards v. Vannoy, Warden
SCDB identifiers: case 2020-020, docket 2020-020-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Retroactivity of new rights”
- Greer v. United States
- Welch v. United States
- Montgomery v. Louisiana
- Roselva Chaidez v. United States
- Edward Dorsey, Sr. v. United States
- Stephen Danforth v. Minnesota
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 9, Paragraph 2 (suspension of the writ of habeas corpus)
- Department of Homeland Security v. Thuraissigiam
- Boumediene v. BushLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Taylor v. Riojas
- United States. v. Briggs
- Shinn v. Kayer
- Torres v. Madrid
- Mays v. Hines
- Jones v. Mississippi
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