Delaware v. Fensterer
474 U.S. 15 · Decided November 4, 1985 · 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
Delaware v. Fensterer was decided on November 4, 1985 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Confrontation of witnesses” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 474 U.S. 15 · 106 S. Ct. 292 · 88 L. Ed. 2d 15 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 137
- Docket number
- 85-214
- Decided
- November 4, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Confrontation of witnesses
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to confront and cross-examine, compulsory process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Jurisdictional dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Delaware v. Fensterer
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-004, docket 1985-004-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Confrontation of witnesses”
- United States v. Inadi
- Delaware v. Van Arsdall
- Tennessee v. Street
- Lee v. Illinois
- United States v. Gagnon
- New Mexico v. Earnest
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to confront and cross-examine, compulsory process)
- Crane v. Kentucky
- Leonard Portuondo v. Ray Agard
- Berger v. California
- Roberts v. Russell
- Clark v. Sweeney
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- Pennsylvania v. Goldhammer
- Hill v. Lockhart
- Heath v. Alabama
- Miller v. Fenton
- Thomas v. Arn
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