Wainwright v. Witt
469 U.S. 412 · Decided January 21, 1985 · 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. Witt was decided on January 21, 1985 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, jurors and death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 469 U.S. 412 · 105 S. Ct. 844 · 83 L. Ed. 2d 841 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 43
- Docket number
- 83-1427
- Decided
- January 21, 1985
- Argued
- October 2, 1984
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- 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 Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Wainwright, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections v. Witt
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-024, docket 1984-024-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, jurors and death penalty”
- Lockhart v. McCree
- Darden v. Wainwright
- Gray v. Mississippi
- Buchanan v. Kentucky
- Ross v. Oklahoma
- Adams v. Texas
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Reed v. Ross
- Miller v. Fenton
- Vasquez v. Hillery
- Antone v. Dugger
- Kimmelman v. Morrison
- Barefoot v. Estelle
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Florida v. Rodriguez
- Thompson v. Louisiana
- Luce v. United States
- United States v. Abel
- United States v. Powell
- Garcia v. United States
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