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Patrick Ramirez v. Indiana

471 U.S. 147 · Decided April 1, 1985 · 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

Patrick Ramirez v. Indiana was decided on April 1, 1985 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miscellaneous criminal procedure” in the Criminal Procedure area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
471 U.S. 147 · 105 S. Ct. 1860 · 85 L. Ed. 2d 113 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 201
Docket number
84-5059
Decided
April 1, 1985
Argued
March 19, 1985
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Equally divided vote
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
4–4
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Equally divided vote
Justice Byron R. WhiteEqually divided vote
Justice Thurgood MarshallEqually divided vote
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerEqually divided vote
Justice Harry A. BlackmunEqually divided vote
Justice William H. RehnquistEqually divided vote
Justice John Paul StevensEqually divided vote
Justice Sandra Day O'ConnorEqually divided vote

Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..

Full case caption

Patrick Ramirez v. Indiana

SCDB identifiers: case 1984-074, docket 1984-074-01.

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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