Geders v. United States
425 U.S. 80 · Decided March 30, 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
Geders v. United States was decided on March 30, 1976 unanimously (8–0). 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 “Right to counsel” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 425 U.S. 80 · 96 S. Ct. 1330 · 47 L. Ed. 2d 592 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 31
- Docket number
- 74-5968
- Decided
- March 30, 1976
- Argued
- December 1, 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Right to counsel
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- 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. | Concurrence | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Did not participate: John Paul Stevens.
Full case caption
Geders v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-064, docket 1975-064-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Middendorf v. Henry
- Faretta v. California
- Herring v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Weatherford v. Bursey
- Brewer v. Williams
- Gagnon v. ScarpelliLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Moore v. Illinois
- Holloway v. Arkansas
- United States v. Ash
- Kirby v. Illinois
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
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