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Hitchcock v. Dugger

481 U.S. 393 · Decided April 22, 1987 · 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

Hitchcock v. Dugger was decided on April 22, 1987 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion 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
481 U.S. 393 · 107 S. Ct. 1821 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 347 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 1819
Docket number
85-6756
Decided
April 22, 1987
Argued
October 15, 1986
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
9–0 (unanimous)
Majority opinion
Antonin Scalia
Opinion assigned by
William H. Rehnquist
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Legal provision
Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Hitchcock v. Dugger, Florida Department of Corrections

SCDB identifiers: case 1986-082, docket 1986-082-01.

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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