Louis Jones v. United States
527 U.S. 373 · Decided June 21, 1999 · 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
Louis Jones v. United States was decided on June 21, 1999 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Clarence Thomas 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
- 527 U.S. 373 · 119 S. Ct. 2090 · 144 L. Ed. 2d 370 · 1999 U.S. LEXIS 4201
- Docket number
- 97-9361
- Decided
- June 21, 1999
- Argued
- February 22, 1999
- 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
- Clarence Thomas
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent |
Full case caption
Louis Jones v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1998-079, docket 1998-079-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Lonnie Weeks, Jr. v. Ronald J. Angelone
- Frank X. Hopkins Petitioner v. Randolph K. Reeves
- Douglas McArthur Buchanan, Jr. v. Ronald J. Angelone
- John Paul Penry v. Gary L. Johnson
- Daryl Renard Atkins v. VirginiaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Lem Davis Tuggle, Jr. v. J. D. Netherland
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Gary Albert Ewing v. California
- Dee Farmer v. Edward Brennan
- Florida v. Joe Elton Nixon
- Donald L. Helling v. William McKinney
- Keith J. Hudson v. Jack McMillian
- Ronald Allen Harmelin v. Michigan
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Minnesota v. Wayne Thomas Carter
- Patrick Knowles v. IowaLaw held unconstitutional
- Arthur Calderon v. Russell Coleman
- Francois Holloway v. United States
- Manuel Dejesus Peguero v. United States
- Terry Stewart v. Walter Lagrand
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