Sawyer v. Smith
497 U.S. 227 · Decided June 21, 1990 · 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
Sawyer v. Smith was decided on June 21, 1990 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy 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
- 497 U.S. 227 · 110 S. Ct. 2822 · 111 L. Ed. 2d 193 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 3292
- Docket number
- 89-5809
- Decided
- June 21, 1990
- Argued
- April 25, 1990
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Habeas corpus
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Sawyer v. Smith, Interim Warden
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-125, docket 1989-125-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Habeas corpus”
- Horace Butler v. Kenneth D. McKellar
- Saffle v. Parks
- Jimmie Burden, Jr. v. Walter Zant
- Michael Terrell v. Terry L. Morris
- McCleskey v. Zant
- Roger Keith Coleman v. Charles E. ThompsonAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Michael Terrell v. Terry L. Morris
- James v. Illinois
- Dowling v. United States
- Holland v. Illinois
- Baltimore City Department of Social Services v. Bouknight
- United States v. Rene Martin Verdugo-Urquidez
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