Hill v. Lockhart
474 U.S. 52 · Decided November 18, 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
Hill v. Lockhart was decided on November 18, 1985 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Plea bargaining” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 474 U.S. 52 · 106 S. Ct. 366 · 88 L. Ed. 2d 203 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 141
- Docket number
- 84-1103
- Decided
- November 18, 1985
- Argued
- October 7, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Plea bargaining
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Hill v. Lockhart, Director, Arkansas Department of Correction
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-008, docket 1985-008-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Plea bargaining”
- United States v. Benchimol
- Mabry v. Johnson
- Marshall v. Lonberger
- United States v. Goodwin
- Corbitt v. New Jersey
- Al C. Parke v. Ricky Harold Raley
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Regents of the University of Michigan v. Ewing
- Wainwright v. Greenfield
- Daniels v. WilliamsAltered precedent
- Davidson v. Cannon
- Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Shutts
- Superintendent v. Hill
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Delaware v. Fensterer
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- Pennsylvania v. Goldhammer
- 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