Wesley Aaron Shafer, Jr. v. South Carolina
532 U.S. 36 · Decided March 20, 2001 · 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
Wesley Aaron Shafer, Jr. v. South Carolina was decided on March 20, 2001 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 532 U.S. 36 · 121 S. Ct. 1263 · 149 L. Ed. 2d 178 · 2001 U.S. LEXIS 2456
- Docket number
- 00-5250
- Decided
- March 20, 2001
- Argued
- January 9, 2001
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Wesley Aaron Shafer, Jr. v. South Carolina
SCDB identifiers: case 2000-032, docket 2000-032-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions”
- William Arthur Kelly v. South Carolina
- Ellis E. Neder, Jr. v. United States
- Raymond L. Middleton v. Sally Marie McNeil
- Arthur Andersen LLP v. United States
- Terry Lee Shannon v. United States
- Jonathan Dale Simmons v. South Carolina
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Brentwood Academy v. Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association
- Arthur S. Lujan v. G & G Fire Sprinklers, Inc.
- Wilbert K. Rogers v. Tennessee
- William Fiore v. Gregory White
- Don Stenberg v. Leroy CarhartLaw held unconstitutional
- Charles C. Apprendi, Jr. v. New JerseyLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Christopher Artuz v. Tony Bruce Bennett
- Carl W. Cleveland v. United States
- City of Indianapolis v. James EdmondLaw held unconstitutional
- Paul L. Glover v. United States
- Christopher A. Lopez v. Randy J. Davis
- Illinois v. Charles McArthur
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