Zant v. Stephens
456 U.S. 410 · Decided May 3, 1982 · 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
Zant v. Stephens was decided on May 3, 1982 by a vote of 6–3. SCDB codes the disposition as “certification to or from a lower court.” 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
- 456 U.S. 410 · 102 S. Ct. 1856 · 72 L. Ed. 2d 222 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 101
- Docket number
- 81-89
- Decided
- May 3, 1982
- Argued
- February 24, 1982
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Certification to or from a lower court
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- 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 | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Zant, Warden v. Stephens
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-086, docket 1981-086-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Hopper v. Evans
- Enmund v. FloridaLaw held unconstitutional
- Eddings v. Oklahoma
- Zant v. Stephens
- Barefoot v. Estelle
- Barclay v. Florida
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Duckworth v. Serrano
- Harris v. Rivera
- Boag v. Macdougall
- Hutto v. Davis
- Washington v. Chrisman
- Eddings v. Oklahoma
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