United States v. Addonizio
442 U.S. 178 · Decided June 4, 1979 · 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
United States v. Addonizio was decided on June 4, 1979 unanimously (7–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
- 442 U.S. 178 · 99 S. Ct. 2235 · 60 L. Ed. 2d 805 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 125
- Docket number
- 78-156
- Decided
- June 4, 1979
- Argued
- March 27, 1979
- 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
- 7–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- 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 Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: William J. Brennan Jr., Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
United States v. Addonizio et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-109, docket 1978-109-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Jackson v. Virginia
- Rose v. Mitchell
- Moore v. Duckworth
- Pilon v. Bordenkircher
- United States v. Mauro
- Mabry v. Klimas
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Cuyler v. Sullivan
- Barefoot v. Estelle
- Antone v. Dugger
- Wainwright v. Witt
- Fontaine v. United States
- Lavallee v. Delle Rose
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Presnell v. Georgia
- Rakas v. Illinois
- Corbitt v. New Jersey
- Massachusetts v. White
- Michigan v. Doran
- Lee v. Missouri
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