Hopper v. Evans
456 U.S. 605 · Decided May 24, 1982 · 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
Hopper v. Evans was decided on May 24, 1982 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger 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
- 456 U.S. 605 · 102 S. Ct. 2049 · 72 L. Ed. 2d 367 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 108
- Docket number
- 80-1714
- Decided
- May 24, 1982
- Argued
- March 24, 1982
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Hopper, Corrections Commissioner, et al. v. Evans
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-095, docket 1981-095-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Zant v. Stephens
- Enmund v. FloridaLaw held unconstitutional
- Eddings v. Oklahoma
- Zant v. Stephens
- Barefoot v. Estelle
- Barclay v. Florida
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Duckworth v. Serrano
- Harris v. Rivera
- Boag v. Macdougall
- Hutto v. Davis
- Washington v. Chrisman
- Eddings v. Oklahoma
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