Robert Lee Shell v. Mississippi
498 U.S. 1 · Decided October 29, 1990 · 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
Robert Lee Shell v. Mississippi was decided on October 29, 1990 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed 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.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 498 U.S. 1 · 111 S. Ct. 313 · 112 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 5501
- Docket number
- 89-7279
- Decided
- October 29, 1990
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Did not participate: David H. Souter.
Full case caption
Robert Lee Shell v. Mississippi
SCDB identifiers: case 1990-001, docket 1990-001-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Robert Lacy Parker v. Richard L. Dugger
- Walton v. Arizona
- Lewis v. Jeffers
- Delo v. Stokes
- Bryan Stuart Lankford v. Idaho
- Clemons v. Mississippi
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)
- 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
- John L. Cheek v. United States
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