Lassiter v. Department of Social Services of Durham County
452 U.S. 18 · Decided June 1, 1981 · 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
Lassiter v. Department of Social Services of Durham County was decided on June 1, 1981 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart 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
- 452 U.S. 18 · 101 S. Ct. 2153 · 68 L. Ed. 2d 640 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 107
- Docket number
- 79-6423
- Decided
- June 1, 1981
- Argued
- February 23, 1981
- Court era
- Burger 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
- Potter Stewart
- 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 | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Lassiter v. Department of Social Services of Durham County, North Carolina
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-102, docket 1980-102-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- United States v. Morrison
- Wainwright v. Torna
- United States v. Henry
- Cuyler v. Sullivan
- Baldasar v. Illinois
- Morris v. Slappy
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Strickland v. Washington
- Holloway v. Arkansas
- Moore v. Illinois
- Pennsylvania v. Finley
- McCoy v. Court of Appeals of Wisconsin
- United States v. Ash
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colorado v. Bannister
- United States v. Difrancesco
- Watkins v. Sowders
- United States v. Morrison
- Mariscal v. United States
- United States v. Cortez
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