Richard E. Early v. William Packer
537 U.S. 3 · Decided November 4, 2002 · 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
Richard E. Early v. William Packer was decided on November 4, 2002 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Habeas corpus” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 537 U.S. 3 · 123 S. Ct. 362 · 154 L. Ed. 2d 263 · 2002 U.S. LEXIS 8314
- Docket number
- 01-1765
- Decided
- November 4, 2002
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Richard E. Early, Warden, et al. v. William Packer
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-002, docket 2002-002-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Jeanne Woodford v. John Louis Visciotti
- Abu-Ali Abdur'rahman v. Ricky Bell
- Thomas Joe Miller-El v. Janie Cockrell
- Erick Cornell Clay v. United States
- Bill Lockyer v. Leandro Andrade
- Tom L. Carey v. Tony Eugene Saffold
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- George H. Baldwin v. Michael Reese
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Enrico St. Cyr
- Deboris Calcano-Martinez v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- Earthy D. Daniels, Jr. v. United States
- Lackawanna County District Attorney v. Edward R. Coss, Jr.
- Michael Yarborough v. Michael Alvarado
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Jeanne Woodford v. John Louis Visciotti
- Abu-Ali Abdur'rahman v. Ricky Bell
- David Allen Sattazahn v. Pennsylvania
- United States v. Francisco Jimenez Recio and Adrian Lopez-Meza
- Thomas Joe Miller-El v. Janie Cockrell
- Erick Cornell Clay v. United States
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