Solem v. Stumes
465 U.S. 638 · Decided February 29, 1984 · 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
Solem v. Stumes was decided on February 29, 1984 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Retroactivity of new rights” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 465 U.S. 638 · 104 S. Ct. 1338 · 79 L. Ed. 2d 579 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 36
- Docket number
- 81-2149
- Decided
- February 29, 1984
- Argued
- November 28, 1983
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Retroactivity of new rights
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Retroactive application of a constitutional right
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Solem, Warden, South Dakota State Penitentiary v. Stumes
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-047, docket 1983-047-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Retroactivity of new rights”
- Shea v. Louisiana
- United States v. Johnson
- Allen v. Hardy
- Griffith v. Kentucky
- Truesdale v. Aiken
- Brown v. Louisiana
Cases on the same legal provision: Retroactive application of a constitutional right
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Autry v. Estelle
- Russello v. United States
- Torres-Valencia v. United States
- Maggio v. Williams
- Wainwright v. Goode
- Sullivan v. Wainwright
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