United States v. Hosep Krikor Bajakajian
524 U.S. 321 · Decided June 22, 1998 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
United States v. Hosep Krikor Bajakajian was decided on June 22, 1998 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Cruel and unusual punishment, non-death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 524 U.S. 321 · 118 S. Ct. 2028 · 141 L. Ed. 2d 314 · 1998 U.S. LEXIS 4172
- Docket number
- 96-1487
- Decided
- June 22, 1998
- Argued
- November 4, 1997
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, non-death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 982
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Hosep Krikor Bajakajian
SCDB identifiers: case 1997-091, docket 1997-091-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, non-death penalty”
- Dee Farmer v. Edward Brennan
- Gary Albert Ewing v. California
- Richard Lyle Austin v. United States
- Donald L. Helling v. William McKinney
- Keith J. Hudson v. Jack McMillian
- Ronald Allen Harmelin v. Michigan
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Garrit Bates v. United States
- Mario Salinas v. United States
- Richard F. Trest v. Burl Cain
- John Hudson v. United StatesAltered precedent
- Douglas McArthur Buchanan, Jr. v. Ronald J. Angelone
- James Brogan 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