Wainwright v. Torna
455 U.S. 586 · Decided March 22, 1982 · 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
Wainwright v. Torna was decided on March 22, 1982 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Right to counsel” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 455 U.S. 586 · 102 S. Ct. 1300 · 71 L. Ed. 2d 475 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 82
- Docket number
- 81-362
- Decided
- March 22, 1982
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Right to counsel
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Jurisdictional dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Wainwright, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections v. Torna
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-059, docket 1981-059-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Lassiter v. Department of Social Services of Durham County
- Morris v. Slappy
- United States v. Morrison
- Jones v. Barnes
- United States v. Henry
- McKaskle v. Wiggins
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Strickland v. Washington
- Holloway v. Arkansas
- Moore v. Illinois
- Pennsylvania v. Finley
- McCoy v. Court of Appeals of Wisconsin
- United States v. Ash
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Duckworth v. Serrano
- Harris v. Rivera
- Boag v. Macdougall
- Hutto v. Davis
- Washington v. Chrisman
- Eddings v. Oklahoma
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