Stewart v. Massachusetts
408 U.S. 845 · Decided June 29, 1972 · 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
Stewart v. Massachusetts was decided on June 29, 1972 unanimously (9–0). 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.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 408 U.S. 845 · 92 S. Ct. 2845 · 33 L. Ed. 2d 744 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 24
- Docket number
- 71-5446
- Decided
- June 29, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- 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 William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Stewart v. Massachusetts
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-180, docket 1971-180-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Furman v. GeorgiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Hunter v. Tennessee
- Johnson v. United States
- Gregg v. GeorgiaAltered precedent
- Proffitt v. Florida
- Jurek v. Texas
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Harris v. Washington
- Cruz v. Hauck
- Wilwording v. Swenson
- Santobello v. New York
- Picard v. Connor
- United States v. Campos-Serrano
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