William D. O'Sullivan v. Darren Boerckel
526 U.S. 838 · Decided June 7, 1999 · 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
William D. O'Sullivan v. Darren Boerckel was decided on June 7, 1999 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Habeas corpus” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 526 U.S. 838 · 119 S. Ct. 1728 · 144 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1999 U.S. LEXIS 4003
- Docket number
- 97-2048
- Decided
- June 7, 1999
- Argued
- March 30, 1999
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Habeas corpus
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
William D. O'Sullivan v. Darren Boerckel
SCDB identifiers: case 1998-066, docket 1998-066-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Tommy David Strickler v. Fred W. Greene
- Terry Stewart v. Walter Lagrand
- Arthur Calderon v. Russell Coleman
- Terry Williams v. John Taylor
- Michael Wayne Williams v. John Taylor
- Ronald D. Edwards v. Robert W. Carpenter
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Earthy D. Daniels, Jr. v. United States
- Lackawanna County District Attorney v. Edward R. Coss, Jr.
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Enrico St. Cyr
- Deboris Calcano-Martinez v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- Daniel Greene v. Georgia
- George H. Baldwin v. Michael Reese
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Minnesota v. Wayne Thomas Carter
- Patrick Knowles v. IowaLaw held unconstitutional
- Arthur Calderon v. Russell Coleman
- Francois Holloway v. United States
- Manuel Dejesus Peguero v. United States
- Terry Stewart v. Walter Lagrand
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