Johnny Lynn Old Chief v. United States
519 U.S. 172 · Decided January 14, 1997 · 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
Johnny Lynn Old Chief v. United States was decided on January 14, 1997 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice David H. Souter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Subconstitutional fair procedure, evidence presentation or sufficiency” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 519 U.S. 172 · 117 S. Ct. 644 · 136 L. Ed. 2d 574 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 298
- Docket number
- 95-6556
- Decided
- January 14, 1997
- Argued
- October 16, 1996
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Evidence
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Johnny Lynn Old Chief v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-013, docket 1996-013-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Subconstitutional fair procedure, evidence presentation or sufficiency”
- United States v. Anthony Salerno
- United States v. John H. Williams, Jr.
- Moises Sanchez-Llamas v. Oregon
- Carchman v. Nash
- Johnnie Corley v. United States
- Boag v. Macdougall
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Evidence
- Carrie Jaffee v. Mary Lu Redmond
- General Electric Company v. Robert K. Joiner et Ux.
- Fredel Williamson v. United States
- Maria Suzuki Ohler v. United States
- William Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- United States v. Zolin
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- California v. Kenneth Duane Roy
- Ohio v. Robert D. Robinette
- United States v. Vernon Watts
- Maryland v. Jerry Lee Wilson
- Kenneth Lynce v. Hamilton MathisLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Jerry E. Wells and Kenneth R. Steele
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