Dobbert v. Florida
432 U.S. 282 · Decided June 17, 1977 · 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
Dobbert v. Florida was decided on June 17, 1977 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Ex post facto (state)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 432 U.S. 282 · 97 S. Ct. 2290 · 53 L. Ed. 2d 344 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 122
- Docket number
- 76-5306
- Decided
- June 17, 1977
- Argued
- March 28, 1977
- 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
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Ex post facto (state)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 9, Paragraph 3 (bill of attainder or ex post facto law)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Dobbert v. Florida
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-147, docket 1976-147-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Ex post facto (state)”
- Weaver v. GrahamLaw held unconstitutional
- Miller v. FloridaLaw held unconstitutional
- Collins v. YoungbloodAltered precedent
- California Department of Corrections v. Jose Ramon Morales
- Kenneth Lynce v. Hamilton MathisLaw held unconstitutional
- J. Wayne Garner v. Robert L. Jones
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 9, Paragraph 3 (bill of attainder or ex post facto law)
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- United States v. Morrison
- United States v. Rose
- United States v. Dieter
- United States v. Pomponio
- United States v. Sanford
- Moore v. United States
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