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Evan Miller v. Alabama

567 U.S. 460 · Decided June 25, 2012 · 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

Evan Miller v. Alabama was decided on June 25, 2012 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Elena Kagan 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
567 U.S. 460 · 132 S. Ct. 2455 · 183 L. Ed. 2d 407 · 2012 U.S. LEXIS 4873
Docket number
10-9646
Decided
June 25, 2012
Argued
March 20, 2012
Court era
Roberts 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
Elena Kagan
Opinion assigned by
Anthony M. Kennedy
How the case arrived
Certiorari
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

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Antonin ScaliaDissent
Justice Anthony M. KennedyMajority
Justice Clarence ThomasDissentWrote an opinion
Justice Ruth Bader GinsburgMajority
Justice Stephen G. BreyerConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.DissentWrote an opinion
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.DissentWrote an opinion
Justice Sonia SotomayorConcurrence
Justice Elena KaganMajorityWrote an opinion

Full case caption

Evan Miller, Petitioner v. Alabama

SCDB identifiers: case 2011-074, docket 2011-074-01.

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Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)

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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