Lockhart, A. L. v. Nelson
488 U.S. 33 · Decided November 14, 1988 · 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
Lockhart, A. L. v. Nelson was decided on November 14, 1988 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Double jeopardy” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 488 U.S. 33 · 109 S. Ct. 285 · 102 L. Ed. 2d 265 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 5180
- Docket number
- 87-1277
- Decided
- November 14, 1988
- Argued
- October 3, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Double jeopardy
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (double jeopardy)
- 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 Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Lockhart, A. L., Director, Arkansas Department of Correction v. Nelson, Johnny Lee
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-005, docket 1988-005-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Double jeopardy”
- United States v. Broce
- United States v. Halper
- Alabama v. SmithAltered precedent
- Jones v. Thomas
- Dowling v. United States
- Ricketts v. Adamson
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (double jeopardy)
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Pennsylvania v. Bruder
- Olden v. Kentucky
- Perry v. Leeke
- Florida v. Riley
- United States v. Broce
- Harris v. Reed
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