Stone v. Powell
428 U.S. 465 · Decided July 6, 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
Stone v. Powell was decided on July 6, 1976 by a vote of 6–3. 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 “Habeas corpus” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 428 U.S. 465 · 96 S. Ct. 3037 · 49 L. Ed. 2d 1067 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 86
- Docket number
- 74-1055
- Decided
- July 6, 1976
- Argued
- February 24, 1976
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Habeas corpus
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- 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 Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Stone, Warden v. Powell
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-181, docket 1975-181-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Francis v. Henderson
- Swain v. Pressley
- Wainwright v. SykesAltered precedent
- Pitchess v. Davis
- Lefkowitz v. Newsome
- Smith v. Digmon
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Fontaine v. United States
- Lavallee v. Delle Rose
- Cuyler v. Sullivan
- Slayton v. Smith
- Younger v. Gilmore
- Barefoot v. Estelle
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