Jonathan Dale Simmons v. South Carolina
512 U.S. 154 · Decided June 17, 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
Jonathan Dale Simmons v. South Carolina was decided on June 17, 1994 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 512 U.S. 154 · 114 S. Ct. 2187 · 129 L. Ed. 2d 133 · 1994 U.S. LEXIS 4640
- Docket number
- 92-9059
- Decided
- June 17, 1994
- Argued
- January 18, 1994
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Harry A. Blackmun
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Jonathan Dale Simmons v. South Carolina
SCDB identifiers: case 1993-074, docket 1993-074-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, jury instructions”
- Terry Lee Shannon v. United States
- Clarence Victor v. Nebraska
- John Sullivan v. Louisiana
- Wayne Estelle v. Mark Owen McGuire
- Dale Robert Yates v. Parker Evatt
- Tommy Cage v. Louisiana
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
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- Kevin Albright v. Roger Oliver, Etc.
- Charles J. Reich v. Marcus E. CollinsLaw held unconstitutional
- Txo Production Corp. v. Alliance Resources Corp.
- Leonard Heller v. Samuel Doe
- Cinda Sandin v. Demont R. D. Conner
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