Jill L. Brown v. Ronald L. Sanders
546 U.S. 212 · Decided January 11, 2006 · 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
Jill L. Brown v. Ronald L. Sanders was decided on January 11, 2006 by a vote of 5–4. 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
- 546 U.S. 212 · 126 S. Ct. 884 · 163 L. Ed. 2d 723 · 2006 U.S. LEXIS 760
- Docket number
- 04-980
- Decided
- January 11, 2006
- Argued
- October 11, 2005
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- 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 John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority |
Full case caption
Jill L. Brown, Warden v. Ronald L. Sanders
SCDB identifiers: case 2005-017, docket 2005-017-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Oregon v. Randy Lee Guzek
- Dora B. Schriro v. Robert Douglas Smith
- Kansas v. Michael Lee Marsh
- Robert L. Ayers, Jr. v. Fernando Belmontes
- Jill L. Brown v. William Charles Payton
- Donald P. Roper v. Christopher SimmonsAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Florida v. Joe Elton Nixon
- Gary Albert Ewing v. California
- Terrance Jamar Graham v. FloridaLaw held unconstitutional
- Joe Harris Sullivan v. Florida
- Edmund G. Brown, Jr. v. Marciano Plata
- Margaret Minneci v. Richard Lee Pollard
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Paul Allen Dye v. Gerald Hofbauer
- Dora B. Schriro v. Robert Douglas Smith
- Ivan Eberhart v. United States
- Margaret Bradshaw v. Kenneth T. Richey
- Mike Evans v. Reginald Chavis
- Bertram Rice v. Steven Martell Collins
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