Francis v. Franklin
471 U.S. 307 · Decided April 29, 1985 · 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
Francis v. Franklin was decided on April 29, 1985 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
- 471 U.S. 307 · 105 S. Ct. 1965 · 85 L. Ed. 2d 344 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 4
- Docket number
- 83-1590
- Decided
- April 29, 1985
- Argued
- November 28, 1984
- 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
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent |
Full case caption
Francis, Warden v. Franklin
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-086, docket 1984-086-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions”
- James v. Kentucky
- Koehler v. Engle
- Rose v. Clark
- California v. Brown
- Connecticut v. Johnson
- Mills v. Maryland
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz
- Ponte v. Real
- Black v. Romano
- Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill
- Superintendent v. Hill
- Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Shutts
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Florida v. Rodriguez
- Thompson v. Louisiana
- Luce v. United States
- United States v. Abel
- United States v. Powell
- Garcia 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