Kuhlmann v. Wilson
477 U.S. 436 · Decided June 26, 1986 · 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
Kuhlmann v. Wilson was decided on June 26, 1986 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Right to counsel” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 477 U.S. 436 · 106 S. Ct. 2616 · 91 L. Ed. 2d 364 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 65
- Docket number
- 84-1479
- Decided
- June 26, 1986
- Argued
- January 14, 1986
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Right to counsel
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Kuhlmann, Superintendent, Sullivan Correctional Facility v. Wilson
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-132, docket 1985-132-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Kimmelman v. Morrison
- Michigan v. Jackson
- Nix v. Whiteside
- Maine v. Moulton
- Burger v. Kemp
- Evitts v. Lucey
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Pennsylvania v. Finley
- McCoy v. Court of Appeals of Wisconsin
- Strickland v. Washington
- Holloway v. Arkansas
- Moore v. Illinois
- United States v. Ash
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Delaware v. Fensterer
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- Pennsylvania v. Goldhammer
- Hill v. Lockhart
- Heath v. Alabama
- Miller v. Fenton
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