Francis v. Henderson
425 U.S. 536 · 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
Francis v. Henderson was decided on May 3, 1976 by a vote of 6–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Habeas corpus” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 425 U.S. 536 · 96 S. Ct. 1708 · 48 L. Ed. 2d 149 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 116
- Docket number
- 74-5808
- Decided
- May 3, 1976
- Argued
- December 9, 1975
- 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
- 6–1
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Habeas corpus
- 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 William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall, John Paul Stevens.
Full case caption
Francis v. Henderson, Warden
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-087, docket 1975-087-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Stone v. Powell
- Swain v. Pressley
- Pitchess v. Davis
- Wainwright v. SykesAltered precedent
- Lefkowitz v. Newsome
- Francisco v. Gathright
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Fontaine v. United States
- Lavallee v. Delle Rose
- Cuyler v. Sullivan
- Slayton v. Smith
- Younger v. Gilmore
- Harris, U.S. District Judge (Walker v. Nelson
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