Pennsylvania v. Ritchie
480 U.S. 39 · Decided February 24, 1987 · 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
Pennsylvania v. Ritchie was decided on February 24, 1987 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Discovery and inspection in criminal cases” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 480 U.S. 39 · 107 S. Ct. 989 · 94 L. Ed. 2d 40 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 558
- Docket number
- 85-1347
- Decided
- February 24, 1987
- Argued
- December 3, 1986
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Discovery and inspection in criminal cases
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Jurisdictional dissent |
Full case caption
Pennsylvania v. Ritchie
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-035, docket 1986-035-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Discovery and inspection in criminal cases”
- United States Department of Justice v. Julian
- United States v. Bagley
- United States v. Zolin
- Illinois v. Abbott & Associates, Inc.
- United States v. R. Enterprises, Inc.
- Douglas Oil Company of California v. Petrol Stops Northwest
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Asahi Metal Industry Co., Ltd. v. Superior Court of California
- Martin v. Ohio
- Colorado v. Connelly
- Board of Pardons v. Allen
- Rock v. Arkansas
- Rivera v. Minnich
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colorado v. Connelly
- Griffith v. Kentucky
- Colorado v. Bertine
- Connecticut v. Barrett
- California v. Brown
- Colorado v. Spring
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