Robert Lacy Parker v. Richard L. Dugger
498 U.S. 308 · Decided January 22, 1991 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Robert Lacy Parker v. Richard L. Dugger was decided on January 22, 1991 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 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
- 498 U.S. 308 · 111 S. Ct. 731 · 112 L. Ed. 2d 812 · 1991 U.S. LEXIS 490
- Docket number
- 89-5961
- Decided
- January 22, 1991
- Argued
- November 7, 1990
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- Thurgood Marshall
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority |
Full case caption
Robert Lacy Parker v. Richard L. Dugger, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1990-026, docket 1990-026-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Robert Lee Shell v. Mississippi
- Bryan Stuart Lankford v. Idaho
- Pervis Tyrone Payne v. TennesseeAltered precedent
- Walton v. Arizona
- Lewis v. Jeffers
- Delo v. Stokes
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Pearly L. Wilson v. Richard Seiter
- Ronald Allen Harmelin v. Michigan
- Keith J. Hudson v. Jack McMillian
- Murray v. Giarratano
- Donald L. Helling v. William McKinney
- Dee Farmer v. Edward Brennan
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Robert Lee Shell v. Mississippi
- Tommy Cage v. Louisiana
- R. Dobie Langenkamp v. C. A. Culp
- Raymond J. Moskal, Sr. v. United States
- Robert S. Minnick v. Mississippi
- Richard Demarest v. James
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