Samuel A. Lewis v. Fletcher Casey, Jr.
518 U.S. 343 · Decided June 24, 1996 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Samuel A. Lewis v. Fletcher Casey, Jr. was decided on June 24, 1996 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights” in the Due Process area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 518 U.S. 343 · 116 S. Ct. 2174 · 135 L. Ed. 2d 606 · 1996 U.S. LEXIS 4220
- Docket number
- 94-1511
- Decided
- June 24, 1996
- Argued
- November 29, 1995
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Samuel A. Lewis, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections, et al. v. Fletcher Casey, Jr., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1995-081, docket 1995-081-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights”
- Leroy L. Young v. Ernest Eugene Harper
- Cinda Sandin v. Demont R. D. Conner
- Ohio Adult Parole Authority v. Eugene Woodard
- Robert C. Rufo v. Inmates of the Suffolk County Jail
- John H. McCarthy v. Bronson
- Michael Owen Perry v. Louisiana
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- Tina B. Bennis v. Michigan
- Byron Keith Cooper v. OklahomaLaw held unconstitutional
- Jason Richards v. Jefferson County
- Montana v. James Allen Egelhoff
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