Mary Berghuis v. Diapolis Smith
559 U.S. 314 · Decided March 30, 2010 · 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
Mary Berghuis v. Diapolis Smith was decided on March 30, 2010 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, voir dire” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 559 U.S. 314 · 130 S. Ct. 1382 · 176 L. Ed. 2d 249 · 2010 U.S. LEXIS 2925
- Docket number
- 08-1402
- Decided
- March 30, 2010
- Argued
- January 20, 2010
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Extra-legal jury influences, voir dire
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (other provisions)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority |
Full case caption
Mary Berghuis, Warden v. Diapolis Smith
SCDB identifiers: case 2009-036, docket 2009-036-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, voir dire”
- Rick Thaler v. Anthony Cardell Haynes
- Eric Presley v. Georgia
- Michael Rivera v. Illinois
- Warger v. Shauers
- Pitchford v. Cain
- Dawud Majid Mu'min v. Virginia
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (other provisions)
- Randall Wright v. Joseph L. Van Patten
- Allen Ryan Alleyne v. United StatesAltered precedent
- Walter Mickens, Jr. v. John Taylor
- Texas v. Raymond Levi Cobb
- United States v. Tsarnaev
- United States v. Edward G. Scheffer
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- George Porter, Jr. v. Bill McCollum
- Michigan v. Jeremy Fisher
- Jeffrey A. Beard v. Joseph J. Kindler
- E. K. McDaniel v. Troy Brown
- Keith Smith v. Frank G. Spisak, Jr.
- Marcus A. Wellons v. Hilton Hall
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