Hutto v. Davis
454 U.S. 370 · Decided January 11, 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
Hutto v. Davis was decided on January 11, 1982 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed 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, non-death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 454 U.S. 370 · 102 S. Ct. 703 · 70 L. Ed. 2d 556 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 57
- Docket number
- 81-23
- Decided
- January 11, 1982
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, non-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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Hutto, Director, Virginia State Department of Corrections, et al. v. Davis
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-021, docket 1981-021-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, non-death penalty”
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Eddings v. Oklahoma
- Hopper v. Evans
- Enmund v. FloridaLaw held unconstitutional
- Zant v. Stephens
- Barclay v. Florida
- California v. Ramos
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Duckworth v. Serrano
- Harris v. Rivera
- Boag v. Macdougall
- Washington v. Chrisman
- Eddings v. Oklahoma
- Rose v. Lundy
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