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In re James Blodgett

502 U.S. 236 · Decided January 13, 1992 · 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

In re James Blodgett was decided on January 13, 1992 by a vote of 7–2. SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” 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
502 U.S. 236 · 112 S. Ct. 674 · 116 L. Ed. 2d 669 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 193
Docket number
91-716
Decided
January 13, 1992
Decision type
Per curiam (no oral argument)
Disposition
Petition denied or appeal dismissed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
7–2
Opinion assigned by
William H. Rehnquist
How the case arrived
Mandamus
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Byron R. WhiteMajority
Justice Harry A. BlackmunDissent
Chief Justice William H. RehnquistMajority
Justice John Paul StevensDissentWrote an opinion
Justice Sandra Day O'ConnorMajority
Justice Antonin ScaliaMajority
Justice Anthony M. KennedyMajority
Justice David H. SouterMajority
Justice Clarence ThomasMajority

Full case caption

In re James Blodgett, Superintendent, Washington State Penitentiary, et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1991-019, docket 1991-019-01.

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Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)

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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