Weatherford v. Bursey
429 U.S. 545 · Decided February 22, 1977 · 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
Weatherford v. Bursey was decided on February 22, 1977 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Right to counsel” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 429 U.S. 545 · 97 S. Ct. 837 · 51 L. Ed. 2d 30 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 40
- Docket number
- 75-1510
- Decided
- February 22, 1977
- Argued
- December 7, 1976
- 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
- Byron R. White
- 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. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| 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 |
Full case caption
Weatherford, Agent of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, et al. v. Bursey
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-045, docket 1976-045-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Brewer v. Williams
- Geders v. United States
- Middendorf v. Henry
- Faretta v. California
- Herring v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Scott v. Illinois
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Moore v. Illinois
- Holloway v. Arkansas
- United States v. Ash
- Kirby v. Illinois
- Strickland v. Washington
- McConnell v. Rhay
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- United States v. Morrison
- United States v. Rose
- United States v. Dieter
- United States v. Pomponio
- United States v. Sanford
- Moore 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