Ellis B. Wright, Jr. v. Frank Robert West, Jr.
505 U.S. 277 · Decided June 19, 1992 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Ellis B. Wright, Jr. v. Frank Robert West, Jr. was decided on June 19, 1992 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Habeas corpus” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 505 U.S. 277 · 112 S. Ct. 2482 · 120 L. Ed. 2d 225 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 3689
- Docket number
- 91-542
- Decided
- June 19, 1992
- Argued
- March 24, 1992
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Judgment 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
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Habeas corpus
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Ellis B. Wright, Jr., Warden and Mary Sue Terry, Attorney General of Virginia v. Frank Robert West, Jr.
SCDB identifiers: case 1991-102, docket 1991-102-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Robert Wayne Sawyer v. John Whitley
- J. C. Keeney v. Jose Tamayo-ReyesAltered precedent
- James R. Stringer v. Lee Roy Black
- Wilburn Dobbs v. Walter D. Zant
- Leonel Torres Herrera v. James A. Collins
- Gary Graham v. James A. Collins
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- United States v. Alejandro Garcia Ibarra
- Wayne Estelle v. Mark Owen McGuire
- Guy Wooddell, Jr. v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
- In re James Blodgett
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Joseph Patrick Doherty
- Randall D. White v. Illinois
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