Kentucky v. Whorton
441 U.S. 786 · Decided May 21, 1979 · 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
Kentucky v. Whorton was decided on May 21, 1979 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned 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
- 441 U.S. 786 · 99 S. Ct. 2088 · 60 L. Ed. 2d 640 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 105
- Docket number
- 78-749
- Decided
- May 21, 1979
- Argued
- April 16, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Kentucky v. Whorton
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-098, docket 1978-098-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions”
- Sandstrom v. Montana
- Taylor v. Kentucky
- Henderson v. Kibbe
- United States v. Pomponio
- Connecticut v. Johnson
- Koehler v. Engle
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Greenholtz v. Inmates of the Nebraska Penal and Correction Complex
- Green v. Georgia
- County Court of Ulster County v. Allen
- Addington v. Texas
- Parham v. J.R.
- Secretary of Public Welfare of Pennsylvania v. Institutionalized Juveniles
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Presnell v. Georgia
- Rakas v. Illinois
- Corbitt v. New Jersey
- Massachusetts v. White
- Michigan v. Doran
- Lee v. Missouri
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