Bryan Stuart Lankford v. Idaho
500 U.S. 110 · Decided May 20, 1991 · 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
Bryan Stuart Lankford v. Idaho was decided on May 20, 1991 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. 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.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 500 U.S. 110 · 111 S. Ct. 1723 · 114 L. Ed. 2d 173 · 1991 U.S. LEXIS 2786
- Docket number
- 88-7247
- Decided
- May 20, 1991
- Argued
- February 19, 1991
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Thurgood Marshall
- 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
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent |
Full case caption
Bryan Stuart Lankford v. Idaho
SCDB identifiers: case 1990-072, docket 1990-072-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Pervis Tyrone Payne v. TennesseeAltered precedent
- Robert Lacy Parker v. Richard L. Dugger
- Robert Lee Shell v. Mississippi
- In re James Blodgett
- Walton v. Arizona
- Lewis v. Jeffers
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Connecticut and John F. Digiovanni v. Brian K. DoehrLaw held unconstitutional
- Edward Harold Schad, Jr. v. Arizona
- Arizona v. FulminanteAltered precedent
- Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company v. Cleopatra Haslip
- Tommy Cage v. Louisiana
- Wayne Estelle v. Mark Owen McGuire
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Robert Lee Shell v. Mississippi
- Tommy Cage v. Louisiana
- R. Dobie Langenkamp v. C. A. Culp
- Raymond J. Moskal, Sr. v. United States
- Robert S. Minnick v. Mississippi
- Richard Demarest v. James
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