Ralph Baze and Thomas C. Bowling v. John D. Rees
553 U.S. 35 · Decided April 16, 2008 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Ralph Baze and Thomas C. Bowling v. John D. Rees was decided on April 16, 2008 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the opinion announcing the judgment 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
- 553 U.S. 35 · 128 S. Ct. 1520 · 170 L. Ed. 2d 420 · 2008 U.S. LEXIS 3476
- Docket number
- 07-5439
- Decided
- April 16, 2008
- Argued
- January 7, 2008
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Ralph Baze and Thomas C. Bowling v. John D. Rees, Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Corrections, et Al
SCDB identifiers: case 2007-031, docket 2007-031-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Kennedy v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Medellin v. Texas
- Scott Louis Panetti v. Nathaniel Quarterman
- Laroyce Lathair Smith v. Texas
- Robert L. Ayers, Jr. v. Fernando Belmontes
- Keith Smith v. Frank G. Spisak, Jr.
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Terrance Jamar Graham v. FloridaLaw held unconstitutional
- Joe Harris Sullivan v. Florida
- Edmund G. Brown, Jr. v. Marciano Plata
- Florida v. Joe Elton Nixon
- Margaret Minneci v. Richard Lee Pollard
- Gary Albert Ewing v. California
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