Pope v. United States
392 U.S. 651 · Decided June 17, 1968 · 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
Pope v. United States was decided on June 17, 1968 by a vote of 7–2. The Court vacated 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. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 392 U.S. 651 · 88 S. Ct. 2145 · 20 L. Ed. 2d 1317 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 1161
- Docket number
- 34 M
- Decided
- June 17, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- 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
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
Pope v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-187, docket 1967-187-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- United States v. JacksonLaw held unconstitutional
- Johnson v. United States
- Hunter v. Tennessee
- Furman v. GeorgiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Stewart v. Massachusetts
- Gregg v. GeorgiaAltered precedent
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Powell v. Texas
- Robinson v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Estelle v. Gamble
- Ingraham v. Wright
- Rummel v. Estelle
- Rhodes v. Chapman
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Bitter v. United States
- Roberts v. United States
- Wood v. United States
- Pinto v. Pierce
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Garner v. Yeager
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