Joe Harris Sullivan v. Florida
560 U.S. 181 · Decided May 17, 2010 · 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
Joe Harris Sullivan v. Florida was decided on May 17, 2010 unanimously (9–0). 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, non-death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 560 U.S. 181 · 130 S. Ct. 2059 · 176 L. Ed. 2d 919 · 2010 U.S. LEXIS 3878
- Docket number
- 08-7621
- Decided
- May 17, 2010
- Argued
- November 9, 2009
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- 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 John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority |
Full case caption
Joe Harris Sullivan v. Florida
SCDB identifiers: case 2009-051, docket 2009-051-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, non-death penalty”
- Terrance Jamar Graham v. FloridaLaw held unconstitutional
- Edmund G. Brown, Jr. v. Marciano Plata
- Margaret Minneci v. Richard Lee Pollard
- Gary Albert Ewing v. California
- Taylor v. Riojas
- Jones v. Mississippi
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Keith Smith v. Frank G. Spisak, Jr.
- Humberto Leal Garcia v. Texas
- Kennedy v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Ralph Baze and Thomas C. Bowling v. John D. Rees
- Evan Miller v. AlabamaLaw held unconstitutional
- Scott Louis Panetti v. Nathaniel Quarterman
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- George Porter, Jr. v. Bill McCollum
- Michigan v. Jeremy Fisher
- Jeffrey A. Beard v. Joseph J. Kindler
- E. K. McDaniel v. Troy Brown
- Keith Smith v. Frank G. Spisak, Jr.
- Marcus A. Wellons v. Hilton Hall
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