McKaskle v. Wiggins
465 U.S. 168 · Decided January 23, 1984 · 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
McKaskle v. Wiggins was decided on January 23, 1984 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 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
- 465 U.S. 168 · 104 S. Ct. 944 · 79 L. Ed. 2d 122 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 24
- Docket number
- 82-1135
- Decided
- January 23, 1984
- Argued
- November 9, 1983
- Court era
- Burger 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
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- 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 Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
McKaskle, Acting Director, Texas Department of Corrections v. Wiggins
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-030, docket 1983-030-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- United States v. Cronic
- United States v. Gouveia
- Nix v. Williams
- Jones v. Barnes
- Morris v. Slappy
- Evitts v. Lucey
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Strickland v. Washington
- Pennsylvania v. Finley
- McCoy v. Court of Appeals of Wisconsin
- Holloway v. Arkansas
- Moore v. Illinois
- United States v. Ash
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Autry v. Estelle
- Russello v. United States
- Torres-Valencia v. United States
- Maggio v. Williams
- Wainwright v. Goode
- Sullivan v. Wainwright
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