Murray v. Giarratano
492 U.S. 1 · Decided June 23, 1989 · 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
Murray v. Giarratano was decided on June 23, 1989 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, appointment of counsel” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 492 U.S. 1 · 109 S. Ct. 2765 · 106 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 3134
- Docket number
- 88-411
- Decided
- June 23, 1989
- Argued
- March 22, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, appointment of counsel
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- 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 | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Murray, Director, Virginia Department of Corrections, et al. v. Giarratano et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-136, docket 1988-136-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, appointment of counsel”
- Mallard v. United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa
- Pennsylvania v. Finley
- Anthony S. Austin v. United States
- George Smith v. Lee Robbins
- Ross v. Moffitt
- Dennett v. Hogan
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Penry v. Lynaugh
- Stanford v. Kentucky
- South Carolina v. Gathers
- Scott Wayne Blystone v. Pennsylvania
- Richard Boyde v. California
- McKoy v. North CarolinaLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Town of Huntington v. Huntington Branch
- Penson v. Ohio
- Pittston Coal Group v. Sebben
- Owens v. Okure
- City of Richmond v. J. A. Croson CompanyLaw held unconstitutional
- In re McDonald
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