Enmund v. Florida
458 U.S. 782 · Decided July 2, 1982 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Enmund v. Florida was decided on July 2, 1982 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. 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. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 458 U.S. 782 · 102 S. Ct. 3368 · 73 L. Ed. 2d 1140 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 158
- Docket number
- 81-5321
- Decided
- July 2, 1982
- Argued
- March 23, 1982
- Court era
- Burger 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
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- 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 Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Enmund v. Florida
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-172, docket 1981-172-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Hopper v. Evans
- Zant v. Stephens
- Eddings v. Oklahoma
- Zant v. Stephens
- Barefoot v. Estelle
- Barclay v. Florida
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Duckworth v. Serrano
- Harris v. Rivera
- Boag v. Macdougall
- Hutto v. Davis
- Washington v. Chrisman
- Eddings v. Oklahoma
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