diff --git a/src/share/classes/sun/security/ssl/ClientHandshaker.java b/src/share/classes/sun/security/ssl/ClientHandshaker.java
index 9ebeb75c5aaff2b87a94640c20573cd3bea055ca..63d48ad376d179393a8d3b7502e3f231dd312b1b 100644
--- a/src/share/classes/sun/security/ssl/ClientHandshaker.java
+++ b/src/share/classes/sun/security/ssl/ClientHandshaker.java
@@ -128,9 +128,8 @@ final class ClientHandshaker extends Handshaker {
      * in the constructor.
      */
     void processMessage(byte type, int messageLen) throws IOException {
-        if (state > type
-                && (type != HandshakeMessage.ht_hello_request
-                    && state != HandshakeMessage.ht_client_hello)) {
+        if (state >= type
+                && (type != HandshakeMessage.ht_hello_request)) {
             throw new SSLProtocolException(
                     "Handshake message sequence violation, " + type);
         }
diff --git a/src/share/classes/sun/security/ssl/ServerHandshaker.java b/src/share/classes/sun/security/ssl/ServerHandshaker.java
index 8b10f8a94998ae767a09ad34c22cf3126825f6cb..a8d256f76d6810fc4fd0c7dbb096740e52416bb4 100644
--- a/src/share/classes/sun/security/ssl/ServerHandshaker.java
+++ b/src/share/classes/sun/security/ssl/ServerHandshaker.java
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ final class ServerHandshaker extends Handshaker {
         // In SSLv3 and TLS, messages follow strictly increasing
         // numerical order _except_ for one annoying special case.
         //
-        if ((state > type)
+        if ((state >= type)
                 && (state != HandshakeMessage.ht_client_key_exchange
                     && type != HandshakeMessage.ht_certificate_verify)) {
             throw new SSLProtocolException(
@@ -250,13 +250,15 @@ final class ServerHandshaker extends Handshaker {
         }
 
         //
-        // Move the state machine forward except for that annoying
-        // special case.  This means that clients could send extra
-        // cert verify messages; not a problem so long as all of
-        // them actually check out.
+        // Move state machine forward if the message handling
+        // code didn't already do so
         //
-        if (state < type && type != HandshakeMessage.ht_certificate_verify) {
-            state = type;
+        if (state < type) {
+            if(type == HandshakeMessage.ht_certificate_verify) {
+                state = type + 2;    // an annoying special case
+            } else {
+                state = type;
+            }
         }
     }