Billy Joe Magwood v. Tony Patterson
561 U.S. 320 · Decided June 24, 2010 · 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
Billy Joe Magwood v. Tony Patterson was decided on June 24, 2010 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Clarence Thomas 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
- 561 U.S. 320 · 130 S. Ct. 2788 · 177 L. Ed. 2d 592 · 2010 U.S. LEXIS 5258
- Docket number
- 09-158
- Decided
- June 24, 2010
- Argued
- March 24, 2010
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Concurrence |
Full case caption
Billy Joe Magwood v. Tony Patterson, Warden, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2009-084, docket 2009-084-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Lawrence Joseph Jefferson v. Stephen Upton
- Paul Renico v. Reginald Lett
- Bill K. Wilson v. Joseph E. Corcoran
- Holly Wood v. Richard F. Allen
- E. K. McDaniel v. Troy Brown
- Jeffrey A. Beard v. Joseph J. Kindler
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Albert Holland v. Florida
- T. Felkner v. Steven Frank Jackson
- Michael A. Knowles v. Alexandre Mirzayance
- Doug Waddington v. Cesar Sarausad
- Carlos Jimenez v. Nathaniel Quarterman
- Rafael Arriaza Gonzales v. Rick Thaler
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- George Porter, Jr. v. Bill McCollum
- Michigan v. Jeremy Fisher
- Jeffrey A. Beard v. Joseph J. Kindler
- E. K. McDaniel v. Troy Brown
- Keith Smith v. Frank G. Spisak, Jr.
- Marcus A. Wellons v. Hilton Hall
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