Woodard v. Hutchins
464 U.S. 377 · Decided January 13, 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
Woodard v. Hutchins was decided on January 13, 1984 by a vote of 5–4. The Court vacated the lower court's decision. 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
- 464 U.S. 377 · 104 S. Ct. 752 · 78 L. Ed. 2d 541 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 16
- Docket number
- A-557
- Decided
- January 13, 1984
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Vacated
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1651
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence |
Full case caption
Woodard, Secretary of Corrections of North Carolina, et al. v. Hutchins
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-019, docket 1983-019-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Pulley v. Harris
- Antone v. Dugger
- Sullivan v. Wainwright
- Wainwright v. Goode
- Maggio v. Williams
- Autry v. Estelle
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1651
- William J. Clinton v. James T. Goldsmith
- Stern v. South Chester Tube Co.
- Federal Trade Commission v. Dean Foods Co.
- Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. v. Hurley Henson
- La Buy v. Howes Leather Co., Inc.
- United States v. Morgan
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