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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
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
Legal provision
Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Laroyce Lathair Smith v. Texas

SCDB identifiers: case 2004-003, docket 2004-003-01.

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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