Strickland v. Washington
466 U.S. 668 · Decided May 14, 1984 · 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
Strickland v. Washington was decided on May 14, 1984 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indigents, inadequate representation by counsel” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 466 U.S. 668 · 104 S. Ct. 2052 · 80 L. Ed. 2d 674 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 79
- Docket number
- 82-1554
- Decided
- May 14, 1984
- Argued
- January 10, 1984
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indigents, inadequate representation by counsel
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- 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. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Strickland, Superintendent, Florida State Prison, et al. v. Washington
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-091, docket 1983-091-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indigents, inadequate representation by counsel”
- Wood v. Georgia
- McCoy v. Court of Appeals of Wisconsin
- Penson v. Ohio
- Wilkins v. United States
- Holloway v. Arkansas
- Johnson v. Avery
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- United States v. Cronic
- United States v. Gouveia
- McKaskle v. Wiggins
- Evitts v. Lucey
- Jones v. Barnes
- Morris v. Slappy
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Phinpathya
- Migra v. Warren City School District Board of Education
- United Building & Construction Trades Council of Camden County and Vicinity v. Mayor and Council of the City of Camden
- McCain v. Lybrand
- Solem v. Bartlett
- Consolidated Rail Corporation v. Darrone
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