James Walker v. Charles W. Martin
562 U.S. 307 · Decided February 23, 2011 · 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
James Walker v. Charles W. Martin was decided on February 23, 2011 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, inadequate representation by counsel” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 562 U.S. 307 · 131 S. Ct. 1120 · 179 L. Ed. 2d 62 · 2011 U.S. LEXIS 1712
- Docket number
- 09-996
- Decided
- February 23, 2011
- Argued
- November 29, 2010
- Court era
- Roberts 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
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, inadequate representation by counsel
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- State or local law or regulation
- Type of law
- State or local law or regulation
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Full case caption
James Walker, Warden, et Al., Petitioners v. Charles W. Martin
SCDB identifiers: case 2010-017, docket 2010-017-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, inadequate representation by counsel”
- Jeff Premo v. Randy Joseph Moore
- Albert Holland v. Florida
- Luis Mariano Martinez v. Charles L. Ryan
- Blaine Lafler v. Anthony Cooper
- Missouri v. Galin E. Frye
- Robert Wong v. Fernando Belmontes, Jr.
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Los Angeles County v. Craig Arthur Humphries
- Madison County
- Jeff Premo v. Randy Joseph Moore
- Michelle Oritz v. Paula Jordan
- Eric L. Thompson v. North American Stainless, Lp
- Vincent E. Staub v. Proctor Hospital
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