Argersinger v. Hamlin
407 U.S. 25 · Decided June 12, 1972 · 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
Argersinger v. Hamlin was decided on June 12, 1972 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas 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
- 407 U.S. 25 · 92 S. Ct. 2006 · 32 L. Ed. 2d 530 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 139
- Docket number
- 70-5015
- Decided
- June 12, 1972
- Argued
- December 6, 1971
- Reargued
- February 28, 1972
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Argersinger v. Hamlin, Sheriff
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-134, docket 1971-134-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Milton v. Wainwright
- United States v. Tucker
- Gagnon v. ScarpelliLaw held unconstitutional
- Coleman v. Alabama
- Faretta v. California
- Herring v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Kirby v. Illinois
- United States v. Ash
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
- Entsminger v. Iowa
- Moore v. Illinois
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Harris v. Washington
- Cruz v. Hauck
- Wilwording v. Swenson
- Santobello v. New York
- Picard v. Connor
- United States v. Campos-Serrano
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