Alabama v. Pugh
438 U.S. 781 · Decided July 3, 1978 · 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
Alabama v. Pugh was decided on July 3, 1978 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Cruel and unusual punishment, non-death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 438 U.S. 781 · 98 S. Ct. 3057 · 57 L. Ed. 2d 1114 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 136
- Docket number
- 77-1107
- Decided
- July 3, 1978
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, non-death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Eleventh Amendment
- 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. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| 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 | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Alabama et al. v. Pugh et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-158, docket 1977-158-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, non-death penalty”
Cases on the same legal provision: Eleventh Amendment
- Quern v. Jordan
- Lake Country Estates, Inc. v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
- Nevada v. Hall
- Mt. Healthy City School District Board of Education v. Doyle
- Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services v. Florida Nursing Home Association
- Cory v. White
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Rinaldi v. United States
- Pennsylvania v. Mimms
- United States v. New York Telephone Co.
- Moore v. Illinois
- Smith v. Digmon
- Bordenkircher v. Hayes
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