Michael Martel v. Kenneth Clair
565 U.S. 648 · Decided March 5, 2012 · 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 Martel v. Kenneth Clair was decided on March 5, 2012 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Elena Kagan wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, appointment of counsel” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 565 U.S. 648 · 132 S. Ct. 1276 · 182 L. Ed. 2d 135 · 2012 U.S. LEXIS 1997
- Docket number
- 10-1265
- Decided
- March 5, 2012
- Argued
- December 6, 2011
- 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
- Elena Kagan
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, appointment of counsel
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 18-3599
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Michael Martel, Warden, Petitioner v. Kenneth Clair
SCDB identifiers: case 2011-030, docket 2011-030-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, appointment of counsel”
- Cory R. Maples v. Kim T. Thomas
- John Marshall v. Otis Lee Rodgers
- Rothgery v. Gillespie County
- Antonio Dwayne Halbert v. MichiganLaw held unconstitutional
- George Smith v. Lee Robbins
- Anthony S. Austin v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: 18-3599
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Joel Judulang v. Eric H. Holder, Jr.
- Cory R. Maples v. Kim T. Thomas
- Rick Perry v. Shannon Perez
- Akio Kawashima v. Eric H. Holder, Jr.
- Curt Messerschmidt v. Brenda Millender
- Toby Douglas v. Independent Living Center of Southern California, Inc.
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