Laroyce Lathair Smith v. Texas
543 U.S. 37 · Decided November 15, 2004 · 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
Laroyce Lathair Smith v. Texas was decided on November 15, 2004 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. 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
- 543 U.S. 37 · 125 S. Ct. 400 · 160 L. Ed. 2d 303 · 2004 U.S. LEXIS 7668
- Docket number
- 04-5323
- Decided
- November 15, 2004
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Laroyce Lathair Smith v. Texas
SCDB identifiers: case 2004-003, docket 2004-003-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Donald P. Roper v. Christopher SimmonsAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Jill L. Brown v. William Charles Payton
- Dora B. Schriro v. Robert Douglas Smith
- Jill L. Brown v. Ronald L. Sanders
- Oregon v. Randy Lee Guzek
- Kansas v. Michael Lee Marsh
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)
- Gerald Devenpeck v. Jerome Anthony Alford
- Florida v. Joe Elton Nixon
- David Whitfield v. United States
- United States v. Freddie J. BookerLaw held unconstitutional
- Illinois v. Roy I. Caballes
- Melvin T. Smith v. Massachusetts
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