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
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- 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
- 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. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Hitchcock v. Dugger, Florida Department of Corrections
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-082, docket 1986-082-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- McCleskey v. Kemp
- Tison v. Arizona
- Booth v. MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- Sumner v. ShumanLaw held unconstitutional
- Lowenfield v. Phelps
- Ford v. Wainwright
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- California v. Brown
- Whitley v. Albers
- Murray v. Giarratano
- Solem v. Helm
- Pearly L. Wilson v. Richard Seiter
- Ronald Allen Harmelin v. Michigan
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colorado v. Connelly
- Griffith v. Kentucky
- Colorado v. Bertine
- Connecticut v. Barrett
- California v. Brown
- Colorado v. Spring
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