Vincent Cullen v. Scott Lynn Pinholster
563 U.S. 170 · Decided April 4, 2011 · 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
Vincent Cullen v. Scott Lynn Pinholster was decided on April 4, 2011 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Clarence Thomas 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
- 563 U.S. 170 · 131 S. Ct. 1388 · 179 L. Ed. 2d 557 · 2011 U.S. LEXIS 2616
- Docket number
- 09-1088
- Decided
- April 4, 2011
- Argued
- November 9, 2010
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- 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 Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Dissent |
Full case caption
Vincent Cullen, Acting Warden, Petitioner v. Scott Lynn Pinholster
SCDB identifiers: case 2010-035, docket 2010-035-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Ashbel T. Wall v. Khalil Kholi
- Gary Swarthout v. Damon Cooke.
- Kelly Harrington v. Joshua Richter
- Bill K. Wilson v. Joseph E. Corcoran
- Javier Cavazos v. Shirley Ree Smith
- Eric Greene v. Jon Fisher
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- T. Felkner v. Steven Frank Jackson
- Rafael Arriaza Gonzales v. Rick Thaler
- Albert Holland v. Florida
- Michael A. Knowles v. Alexandre Mirzayance
- Carlos Trevino v. Rick Thaler
- Nevada v. Calvin O’neil Jackson
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Bill K. Wilson v. Joseph E. Corcoran
- Kevin Abbott v. United States
- Kelly Harrington v. Joshua Richter
- Gary Swarthout v. Damon Cooke.
- Michigan v. Richard Perry Bryant
- Jason Pepper v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
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