Paul McNeil v. Wisconsin
501 U.S. 171 · Decided June 13, 1991 · 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
Paul McNeil v. Wisconsin was decided on June 13, 1991 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia 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
- 501 U.S. 171 · 111 S. Ct. 2204 · 115 L. Ed. 2d 158 · 1991 U.S. LEXIS 3483
- Docket number
- 90-5319
- Decided
- June 13, 1991
- Argued
- February 25, 1991
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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 Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority |
Full case caption
Paul McNeil v. Wisconsin
SCDB identifiers: case 1990-104, docket 1990-104-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Michigan v. Tyris Lemont Harvey
- A. L. Lockhart v. Bobby Ray Fretwell
- Powell v. Texas
- United States v. Monsanto
- Caplin & Drysdale v. United States
- Perry v. Leeke
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- McCoy v. Court of Appeals of Wisconsin
- Pennsylvania v. Finley
- Strickland v. Washington
- Holloway v. Arkansas
- Moore v. Illinois
- Rothgery v. Gillespie County
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Robert Lee Shell v. Mississippi
- Tommy Cage v. Louisiana
- R. Dobie Langenkamp v. C. A. Culp
- Raymond J. Moskal, Sr. v. United States
- Robert S. Minnick v. Mississippi
- Richard Demarest v. James
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