Eddie S. Ylst, Warden v. Owen Duane Nunnemaker
Decided June 24, 1991. Antonin Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 90-68 · 501 U.S. 797 (1991) · Cited 2,430 times
Holding
A state court's unexplained denial of a habeas petition raising federal claims is not sufficient, for purposes of federal review, to lift a procedural bar imposed on direct appeal.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 6–3.
Majority · 5
- Antonin Scalia · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- David Hackett Souter
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Concurring · 1
- Byron Raymond White · filed a concurring opinion
Dissenting · 3
- Harry Andrew Blackmun · filed a dissenting opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Thurgood Marshall
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Miranda v. Arizona · 384 U.S. 436 (1966)
- Harris v. Reed · 489 U.S. 255 (1989)
- Murray v. Carrier · 477 U.S. 478 (1986)
- Wainwright v. Sykes · 433 U.S. 72 (1977)
- Rose v. Lundy · 455 U.S. 509 (1982)
- Stone v. Powell · 428 U.S. 465 (1976)
- Castille v. Peoples · 489 U.S. 346 (1989)
- Duckworth v. Eagan · 492 U.S. 195 (1989)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Wilson v. Sellers · 584 U.S. 122 (2018)
- Foster v. Chatman · 578 U.S. 488 (2016)
- Brumfield v. Cain · 576 U.S. 305 (2015)
- Harrington v. Richter · 562 U.S. 86 (2011)
- Cone v. Bell · 556 U.S. 449 (2009)
- Evans v. Chavis · 546 U.S. 189 (2006)
- Victor v. Nebraska · 511 U.S. 1 (1994)
- Johnson v. Williams · 568 U.S. 289 (2013)
- Brown v. Davenport · 596 U.S. 118 (2022)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Antonin Scalia’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1991). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).