Holbrook v. Flynn
475 U.S. 560 · Decided March 25, 1986 · 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
Holbrook v. Flynn was decided on March 25, 1986 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, miscellaneous” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 475 U.S. 560 · 106 S. Ct. 1340 · 89 L. Ed. 2d 525 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 37
- Docket number
- 84-1606
- Decided
- March 25, 1986
- Argued
- January 14, 1986
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Extra-legal jury influences, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (other provisions)
- 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. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Holbrook, Superintendent, Massachusetts Correctional Institution, et al. v. Flynn
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-056, docket 1985-056-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, miscellaneous”
- Chandler v. Florida
- David Riggins v. Nevada
- United States v. Michael E. GaudinAltered precedent
- Thomas L. Carey v. Mathew Musladin
- Estes v. Texas
- Leonard v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (other provisions)
- Turner v. Murray
- Lockhart v. McCree
- Gray v. Mississippi
- Patton v. Yount
- Waller v. Georgia
- Hildwin v. Florida
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Delaware v. Fensterer
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- Pennsylvania v. Goldhammer
- Hill v. Lockhart
- Heath v. Alabama
- Miller v. Fenton
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