California v. Brown
479 U.S. 538 · Decided January 27, 1987 · 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
California v. Brown was decided on January 27, 1987 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 479 U.S. 538 · 107 S. Ct. 837 · 93 L. Ed. 2d 934 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 420
- Docket number
- 85-1563
- Decided
- January 27, 1987
- Argued
- December 2, 1986
- 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
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
California v. Brown
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-030, docket 1986-030-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions”
- Rose v. Clark
- Mills v. Maryland
- Francis v. Franklin
- Carella v. California
- James v. Kentucky
- Koehler v. Engle
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Tison v. Arizona
- Hitchcock v. Dugger
- Booth v. MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- Sumner v. ShumanLaw held unconstitutional
- Ford v. Wainwright
- Skipper v. South Carolina
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colorado v. Connelly
- Griffith v. Kentucky
- Colorado v. Bertine
- Connecticut v. Barrett
- Colorado v. Spring
- Pennsylvania v. Ritchie
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