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Pervis Tyrone Payne v. Tennessee

501 U.S. 808 · Decided June 27, 1991 · 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

Pervis Tyrone Payne v. Tennessee was decided on June 27, 1991 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
501 U.S. 808 · 111 S. Ct. 2597 · 115 L. Ed. 2d 720 · 1991 U.S. LEXIS 3821
Docket number
90-5721
Decided
June 27, 1991
Argued
April 24, 1991
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
6–3
Majority opinion
William H. Rehnquist
Opinion assigned by
William H. Rehnquist
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Legal provision
Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Altered precedent
Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Byron R. WhiteConcurrence
Justice Thurgood MarshallDissentWrote an opinion
Justice Harry A. BlackmunDissent
Chief Justice William H. RehnquistMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice John Paul StevensDissentWrote an opinion
Justice Sandra Day O'ConnorConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Antonin ScaliaConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Anthony M. KennedyConcurrence
Justice David H. SouterConcurrenceWrote an opinion

Full case caption

Pervis Tyrone Payne v. Tennessee

SCDB identifiers: case 1990-125, docket 1990-125-01.

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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