Ristaino v. Ross
424 U.S. 589 · Decided March 3, 1976 · 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
Ristaino v. Ross was decided on March 3, 1976 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, voir dire” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 424 U.S. 589 · 96 S. Ct. 1017 · 47 L. Ed. 2d 258 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 28
- Docket number
- 74-1216
- Decided
- March 3, 1976
- Argued
- December 8, 1975
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Extra-legal jury influences, voir dire
- 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 | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Did not participate: John Paul Stevens.
Full case caption
Ristaino et al. v. Ross
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-048, docket 1975-048-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, voir dire”
- Ham v. South Carolina
- Rosales-Lopez v. United States
- Turner v. Murray
- Holland v. Illinois
- Dawud Majid Mu'min v. Virginia
- Michael Rivera v. Illinois
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Lavine v. Milne
- Baxter v. Palmigiano
- Estelle v. Williams
- Tennessee v. Dunlap
- Bishop v. Wood
- Hortonville Joint School District No. 1 v. Hortonville Education Assn.
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Rose v. Hodges
- Menna v. New York
- Dillingham v. United States
- Texas v. White
- Michigan v. Mosley
- United States v. Moore
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