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Hunter v. Tennessee

403 U.S. 711 · Decided June 28, 1971 · 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

Hunter v. Tennessee was decided on June 28, 1971 by a vote of 8–1. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned 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
403 U.S. 711 · 91 S. Ct. 2285 · 29 L. Ed. 2d 820 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 22
Docket number
5085
Decided
June 28, 1971
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Per curiam (no oral argument)
Disposition
Vacated and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
8–1
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Hugo L. BlackDissent
Justice William O. DouglasMajority
Justice John M. Harlan IIMajority
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Majority
Justice Potter StewartMajority
Justice Byron R. WhiteMajority
Justice Thurgood MarshallMajority
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerMajority
Justice Harry A. BlackmunMajority

Full case caption

Hunter v. Tennessee

SCDB identifiers: case 1970-144, docket 1970-144-01.

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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