William R. Pounders v. Penelope Watson
521 U.S. 982 · Decided June 27, 1997 · 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 R. Pounders v. Penelope Watson was decided on June 27, 1997 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Contempt of court or Congress” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 521 U.S. 982 · 117 S. Ct. 2359 · 138 L. Ed. 2d 976 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 4045
- Docket number
- 96-1383
- Decided
- June 27, 1997
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Contempt of court or Congress
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- 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 | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent |
Full case caption
William R. Pounders, Judge, Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County v. Penelope Watson
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-097, docket 1996-097-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Contempt of court or Congress”
- International Union v. John L. Bagwell
- Hicks v. Feiock
- Young v. United States ex Rel. Vuitton et Fils S. A.
- John Robertson v. United States ex Rel. Wykenna Watson
- Michael D. Turner v. Rebecca L. Rogers
- United States v. Wilson
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Washington v. Harold Glucksberg
- Kansas v. Leroy Hendricks
- James E. Gilbert v. Richard Homar
- Newsweek, Inc. v. Florida Department of Revenue
- Ohio Adult Parole Authority v. Eugene Woodard
- County of Sacramento v. Teri Lewis and Thomas Lewis
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- California v. Kenneth Duane Roy
- Ohio v. Robert D. Robinette
- United States v. Vernon Watts
- Johnny Lynn Old Chief v. United States
- Maryland v. Jerry Lee Wilson
- Kenneth Lynce v. Hamilton MathisLaw held unconstitutional
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