Griffith v. Kentucky
479 U.S. 314 · Decided January 13, 1987 · 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
Griffith v. Kentucky was decided on January 13, 1987 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Retroactivity of new rights” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 479 U.S. 314 · 107 S. Ct. 708 · 93 L. Ed. 2d 649 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 283
- Docket number
- 85-5221
- Decided
- January 13, 1987
- Argued
- October 14, 1986
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Retroactivity of new rights
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Retroactive application of a constitutional right
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Griffith v. Kentucky
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-018, docket 1986-018-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Retroactivity of new rights”
- Truesdale v. Aiken
- Allen v. Hardy
- Yates v. Aiken
- Shea v. Louisiana
- Solem v. Stumes
- United States v. Johnson
Cases on the same legal provision: Retroactive application of a constitutional right
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colorado v. Connelly
- Colorado v. Bertine
- Connecticut v. Barrett
- California v. Brown
- Colorado v. Spring
- Pennsylvania v. Ritchie
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