Thompson v. Oklahoma

487 U.S. 815 · Decided June 29, 1988 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

Thompson v. Oklahoma was decided on June 29, 1988 by a vote of 5–3. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens 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. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

• CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
• Library of Congress — official U.S. Reports scan

Case details

How the Justices voted

Did not participate: Anthony M. Kennedy.

Full case caption

Thompson v. Oklahoma

SCDB identifiers: case 1987-153, docket 1987-153-01.

Related decisions

Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”

• Franklin v. Lynaugh
  487 U.S. 164Decided June 22, 19886–3Byron R. White
• Johnson v. Mississippi
  486 U.S. 578Decided June 13, 19889–0John Paul Stevens
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  486 U.S. 356Decided June 6, 19889–0Byron R. White
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  484 U.S. 231Decided January 13, 19885–3William H. Rehnquist
• Hildwin v. Florida
  490 U.S. 638Decided May 30, 19897–2Per curiam
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  490 U.S. 805Decided June 12, 19895–4William J. Brennan Jr.

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Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)

• Murray v. Giarratano
  492 U.S. 1Decided June 23, 19895–4William H. Rehnquist
• California v. Brown
  479 U.S. 538Decided January 27, 19875–4William H. Rehnquist
• Whitley v. Albers
  475 U.S. 312Decided March 4, 19865–4Sandra Day O'Connor
• Pearly L. Wilson v. Richard Seiter
  501 U.S. 294Decided June 17, 19915–4Antonin Scalia
• Ronald Allen Harmelin v. Michigan
  501 U.S. 957Decided June 27, 19915–4Antonin Scalia
• Keith J. Hudson v. Jack McMillian
  503 U.S. 1Decided February 25, 19927–2Sandra Day O'Connor

Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)

• Carpenter v. United States
  484 U.S. 19Decided November 16, 19878–0Byron R. White
• Yates v. Aiken
  484 U.S. 211Decided January 12, 19888–0John Paul Stevens
• Lowenfield v. Phelps
  484 U.S. 231Decided January 13, 19885–3William H. Rehnquist
• Taylor v. Illinois
  484 U.S. 400Decided January 25, 19885–3John Paul Stevens
• United States v. Owens
  484 U.S. 554Decided February 23, 19886–2Antonin Scalia
• United States v. Thomas O. Robinson, Jr.
  485 U.S. 25Decided February 24, 19885–3William H. Rehnquist

See all

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