Estelle v. Williams
425 U.S. 501 · Decided May 3, 1976 · 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
Estelle v. Williams was decided on May 3, 1976 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, prison garb or appearance” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 425 U.S. 501 · 96 S. Ct. 1691 · 48 L. Ed. 2d 126 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 50
- Docket number
- 74-676
- Decided
- May 3, 1976
- Argued
- October 7, 1975
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- 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 Potter Stewart | Concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Did not participate: John Paul Stevens.
Full case caption
Estelle, Corrections Director v. Williams
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-086, docket 1975-086-01.
Related decisions
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Baxter v. Palmigiano
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- Bishop v. Wood
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- Doyle v. Ohio
- Henderson v. Morgan
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Rose v. Hodges
- Menna v. New York
- Dillingham v. United States
- Texas v. White
- Michigan v. Mosley
- United States v. Moore
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