Barefoot v. Estelle
463 U.S. 880 · Decided July 6, 1983 · 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
Barefoot v. Estelle was decided on July 6, 1983 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 463 U.S. 880 · 103 S. Ct. 3383 · 77 L. Ed. 2d 1090 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 110
- Docket number
- 82-6080
- Decided
- July 6, 1983
- Argued
- April 26, 1983
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Barefoot v. Estelle, Director, Texas Department of Corrections
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-160, docket 1982-160-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Barclay v. Florida
- California v. Ramos
- Zant v. Stephens
- Autry v. Estelle
- Maggio v. Williams
- Wainwright v. Goode
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241–2255 (habeas corpus)
- Maggio v. Fulford
- Anderson v. Harless
- Reed v. Ross
- Lehman on Behalf of Her Children v. Lycoming County Children's Services Agency
- Engle v. Isaac
- United States v. Frady
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Anderson v. Harless
- Wyrick v. Fields
- Pillsbury Co. v. Conboy
- Missouri v. Hunter
- Marshall v. Lonberger
- South Dakota v. Neville
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