John Sullivan v. Louisiana
508 U.S. 275 · Decided June 1, 1993 · 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
John Sullivan v. Louisiana was decided on June 1, 1993 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 508 U.S. 275 · 113 S. Ct. 2078 · 124 L. Ed. 2d 182 · 1993 U.S. LEXIS 3741
- Docket number
- 92-5129
- Decided
- June 1, 1993
- Argued
- March 29, 1993
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- Byron R. White
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority |
Full case caption
John Sullivan v. Louisiana
SCDB identifiers: case 1992-080, docket 1992-080-01.
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Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions”
- Clarence Victor v. Nebraska
- Jonathan Dale Simmons v. South Carolina
- Terry Lee Shannon v. United States
- Wayne Estelle v. Mark Owen McGuire
- Dale Robert Yates v. Parker Evatt
- Tommy Cage v. Louisiana
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Leonard Heller v. Samuel Doe
- Txo Production Corp. v. Alliance Resources Corp.
- Leonel Torres Herrera v. James A. Collins
- Al C. Parke v. Ricky Harold Raley
- Kevin Albright v. Roger Oliver, Etc.
- Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Robert P. Casey, Etc.Altered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Al C. Parke v. Ricky Harold Raley
- Willie Lee Richmond v. Samuel A. Lewis
- Edward Soldal v. Cook County
- Michael Crosby v. United States
- Wilburn Dobbs v. Walter D. Zant
- A. L. Lockhart v. Bobby Ray Fretwell
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