Ballew v. Georgia
435 U.S. 223 · Decided March 21, 1978 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Ballew v. Georgia was decided on March 21, 1978 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Jury trial right” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 435 U.S. 223 · 98 S. Ct. 1029 · 55 L. Ed. 2d 234 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 68
- Docket number
- 76-761
- Decided
- March 21, 1978
- Argued
- November 1, 1977
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Jury trial right
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to trial by jury)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Ballew v. Georgia
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-050, docket 1977-050-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Jury trial right”
- Lorillard v. Pons
- Atlas Roofing Co., Inc. v. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
- Burch v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Ludwig v. Massachusetts
- Rose v. Hodges
- Muniz v. Hoffman
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to trial by jury)
- Corbitt v. New Jersey
- Taylor v. LouisianaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Codispoti v. Pennsylvania
- McKeiver v. Pennsylvania
- Buchanan v. Kentucky
- Destefano v. Woods
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Rinaldi v. United States
- Pennsylvania v. Mimms
- United States v. New York Telephone Co.
- Moore v. Illinois
- Smith v. Digmon
- Bordenkircher v. Hayes
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