Wardius v. Oregon
Decided June 11, 1973. Thurgood Marshall delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 71-6042 · 412 U.S. 470 (1973) · Cited 827 times
Holding
Reciprocal discovery is required by fundamental fairness and it is insufficient that although the statute does not require it, the State might grant reciprocal discovery in a given case.
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 9–0.
Majority · 7
- Thurgood Marshall · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Byron Raymond White
- Harry Andrew Blackmun
- Lewis Franklin Powell Jr.
- Potter Stewart
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
- William Joseph Brennan Jr.
Concurring · 2
- Warren Earl Burger
- William Orville Douglas · filed a concurring opinion
“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.
- Williams v. Florida · 399 U.S. 78 (1970)
- Brady v. Maryland · 373 U.S. 83 (1963)
- In Re WINSHIP · 397 U.S. 358 (1970)
- Gideon v. Wainwright · 372 U.S. 335 (1963)
- Washington v. Texas · 388 U.S. 14 (1967)
- Warden, Maryland Penitentiary v. Hayden · 387 U.S. 294 (1967)
- United States v. Augenblick · 393 U.S. 348 (1969)
- Cicenia v. Lagay · 357 U.S. 504 (1958)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Weatherford v. Bursey · 429 U.S. 545 (1977)
- Pennsylvania v. Ritchie · 480 U.S. 39 (1987)
- Taylor v. Illinois · 484 U.S. 400 (1988)
- Gray v. Netherland · 518 U.S. 152 (1996)
- Morgan v. Illinois · 504 U.S. 719 (1992)
- Minnesota v. Clover Leaf Creamery Co. · 449 U.S. 456 (1981)
- Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered v. United States · 491 U.S. 617 (1989)
- Michigan v. Lucas · 500 U.S. 145 (1991)
- New Jersey v. Portash · 440 U.S. 450 (1979)
- Johnson v. Fankell · 520 U.S. 911 (1997)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1973). 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).