Gardner v. Florida
430 U.S. 349 · Decided March 22, 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
Gardner v. Florida was decided on March 22, 1977 by a vote of 8–1. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
- 430 U.S. 349 · 97 S. Ct. 1197 · 51 L. Ed. 2d 393 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 62
- Docket number
- 74-6593
- Decided
- March 22, 1977
- Argued
- November 30, 1976
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Gardner v. Florida
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-071, docket 1976-071-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Darden v. Florida
- Roberts v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Coker v. GeorgiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Gregg v. GeorgiaAltered precedent
- Proffitt v. Florida
- Jurek v. Texas
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
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