Medellin v. Texas
554 U.S. 759 · Decided August 5, 2008 · 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
Medellin v. Texas was decided on August 5, 2008 by a vote of 5–4. SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” 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
- 554 U.S. 759 · 129 S. Ct. 360 · 171 L. Ed. 2d 833 · 2008 U.S. LEXIS 5362
- Docket number
- 06-984
- Decided
- August 5, 2008
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Stay
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority |
Full case caption
Medellin v. Texas
SCDB identifiers: case 2007-073, docket 2007-073-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Kennedy v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Ralph Baze and Thomas C. Bowling v. John D. Rees
- Scott Louis Panetti v. Nathaniel Quarterman
- Laroyce Lathair Smith v. Texas
- Keith Smith v. Frank G. Spisak, Jr.
- Robert L. Ayers, Jr. v. Fernando Belmontes
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- James D. Logan v. United States
- Brian Michael Gall v. United States
- Michael A. Watson v. United States
- Derrick Kimbrough v. United States
- Randall Wright v. Joseph L. Van Patten
- Stephen Danforth v. Minnesota
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