John Joseph Romano v. Oklahoma
512 U.S. 1 · Decided June 13, 1994 · 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
John Joseph Romano v. Oklahoma was decided on June 13, 1994 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 512 U.S. 1 · 114 S. Ct. 2004 · 129 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1994 U.S. LEXIS 4585
- Docket number
- 92-9093
- Decided
- June 13, 1994
- Argued
- March 22, 1994
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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 Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
John Joseph Romano v. Oklahoma
SCDB identifiers: case 1993-066, docket 1993-066-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Paul Palalaua Tuilaepa v. California
- Louise Harris v. Alabama
- Dorsie Lee Johnson, Jr. v. Texas
- A. J. Arave v. Thomas E. Creech
- J. D. Netherland v. Lem Davis Tuggle
- Paul Delo v. Frederick Lashley
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Dee Farmer v. Edward Brennan
- Donald L. Helling v. William McKinney
- Keith J. Hudson v. Jack McMillian
- Ronald Allen Harmelin v. Michigan
- Pearly L. Wilson v. Richard Seiter
- Murray v. Giarratano
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Jimmie Burden, Jr. v. Walter Zant
- Waldemar Ratzlaf and Loretta Ratzlaf v. United States
- Thomas Schiro v. Robert Farley
- Paul Caspari v. Christopher Bohlen
- Clarence Victor v. Nebraska
- United States v. Ralph Stuart Granderson, Jr.
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