Michael A. Knowles v. Alexandre Mirzayance
556 U.S. 111 · Decided March 24, 2009 · 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
Michael A. Knowles v. Alexandre Mirzayance was decided on March 24, 2009 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, inadequate representation by counsel” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 556 U.S. 111 · 129 S. Ct. 1411 · 173 L. Ed. 2d 251 · 2009 U.S. LEXIS 2329
- Docket number
- 07-1315
- Decided
- March 24, 2009
- Argued
- January 13, 2009
- 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
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, inadequate representation by counsel
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- 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 David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority |
Full case caption
Michael A. Knowles, Warden v. Alexandre Mirzayance
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-034, docket 2008-034-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, inadequate representation by counsel”
- David Bobby v. Robert J. Van Hook
- Robert Wong v. Fernando Belmontes, Jr.
- Albert Holland v. Florida
- Jeff Premo v. Randy Joseph Moore
- James Walker v. Charles W. Martin
- Luis Mariano Martinez v. Charles L. Ryan
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Doug Waddington v. Cesar Sarausad
- Carlos Jimenez v. Nathaniel Quarterman
- Jeffrey A. Beard v. Joseph J. Kindler
- Munaf v. Geren
- Holly Wood v. Richard F. Allen
- Stephen Danforth v. Minnesota
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Jennifer Brunner v. Ohio Republican Party
- Cordell Pearson v. Afton CallahanAltered precedent
- Lisa Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee
- Vicky S. Crawford v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
- John Van de Kamp v. Thomas Lee Goldstein
- Donald L. Carcieri v. Ken L. Salazar
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