Franklin v. Lynaugh
487 U.S. 164 · Decided June 22, 1988 · 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
Franklin v. Lynaugh was decided on June 22, 1988 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion announcing the judgment 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
- 487 U.S. 164 · 108 S. Ct. 2320 · 101 L. Ed. 2d 155 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 2868
- Docket number
- 87-5546
- Decided
- June 22, 1988
- Argued
- March 1, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Franklin v. Lynaugh, Director, Texas Department of Corrections
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-132, docket 1987-132-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Thompson v. OklahomaLaw held unconstitutional
- Johnson v. Mississippi
- Maynard v. CartwrightLaw held unconstitutional
- Lowenfield v. Phelps
- Hildwin v. Florida
- South Carolina v. Gathers
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Murray v. Giarratano
- California v. Brown
- Whitley v. Albers
- Pearly L. Wilson v. Richard Seiter
- Ronald Allen Harmelin v. Michigan
- Keith J. Hudson v. Jack McMillian
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Carpenter v. United States
- Yates v. Aiken
- Lowenfield v. Phelps
- Taylor v. Illinois
- United States v. Owens
- United States v. Thomas O. Robinson, Jr.
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