Waller v. Georgia
467 U.S. 39 · Decided May 21, 1984 · 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
Waller v. Georgia was decided on May 21, 1984 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miscellaneous criminal procedure” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 467 U.S. 39 · 104 S. Ct. 2210 · 81 L. Ed. 2d 31 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 86
- Docket number
- 83-321
- Decided
- May 21, 1984
- Argued
- March 27, 1984
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miscellaneous criminal procedure
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (other provisions)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Waller v. Georgia
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-099, docket 1983-099-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miscellaneous criminal procedure”
- United States v. MillerAltered precedent
- Patrick Ramirez v. Indiana
- Scott Leslie Carmell v. TexasLaw held unconstitutional
- Charles B. Miller v. Richard A. French
- Payne v. Madigan
- District of Columbia v. HellerLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (other provisions)
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Autry v. Estelle
- Russello v. United States
- Torres-Valencia v. United States
- Maggio v. Williams
- Wainwright v. Goode
- Sullivan v. Wainwright
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