Roger Keith Coleman v. Charles E. Thompson
501 U.S. 722 · Decided June 24, 1991 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Roger Keith Coleman v. Charles E. Thompson was decided on June 24, 1991 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Habeas corpus” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 501 U.S. 722 · 111 S. Ct. 2546 · 115 L. Ed. 2d 640 · 1991 U.S. LEXIS 3640
- Docket number
- 89-7662
- Decided
- June 24, 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
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Habeas corpus
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority |
Full case caption
Roger Keith Coleman v. Charles E. Thompson, Warden
SCDB identifiers: case 1990-122, docket 1990-122-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Eddie S. Ylst v. Owen Duane Nunnemaker
- McCleskey v. Zant
- Jimmie Burden, Jr. v. Walter Zant
- James R. Stringer v. Lee Roy Black
- J. C. Keeney v. Jose Tamayo-ReyesAltered precedent
- Ellis B. Wright, Jr. v. Frank Robert West, Jr.
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