Joseph Roger O'Dell v. J. D. Netherland
521 U.S. 151 · Decided June 19, 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
Joseph Roger O'Dell v. J. D. Netherland was decided on June 19, 1997 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 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
- 521 U.S. 151 · 117 S. Ct. 1969 · 138 L. Ed. 2d 351 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 3862
- Docket number
- 96-6867
- Decided
- June 19, 1997
- Argued
- March 18, 1997
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Retroactivity of new rights
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent |
Full case caption
Joseph Roger O'Dell, III v. J. D. Netherland, Warden, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-078, docket 1996-078-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Retroactivity of new rights”
- Kitrich Powell v. Nevada
- Republic of Austria v. Altmann
- Dora B. Schriro v. Warren Wesley Summerlin
- Jeffrey A. Beard v. George E. Banks
- Yates v. Aiken
- Glen Whorton v. Marvin Howard Bockting
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- California v. Kenneth Duane Roy
- Ohio v. Robert D. Robinette
- United States v. Vernon Watts
- Johnny Lynn Old Chief v. United States
- Maryland v. Jerry Lee Wilson
- Kenneth Lynce v. Hamilton MathisLaw held unconstitutional
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