Beck v. Alabama
447 U.S. 625 · Decided June 20, 1980 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Beck v. Alabama was decided on June 20, 1980 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 447 U.S. 625 · 100 S. Ct. 2382 · 65 L. Ed. 2d 392 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 134
- Docket number
- 78-6621
- Decided
- June 20, 1980
- Argued
- February 20, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- 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
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Beck v. Alabama
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-129, docket 1979-129-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Hammett v. Texas
- Godfrey v. Georgia
- Green v. Georgia
- Eddings v. Oklahoma
- Presnell v. Georgia
- Zant v. Stephens
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Hicks v. Oklahoma
- Anderson v. Charles
- Exxon Corp. v. Department of Revenue of Wisconsin
- Vitek v. JonesLaw held unconstitutional
- Mobil Oil Corp. v. Commissioner of Taxes of Vermont
- World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Pilon v. Bordenkircher
- Perrin v. United States
- Ybarra v. Illinois
- Thompson v. United States
- United States v. Bailey
- Tague v. Louisiana
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