Baldwin v. Alabama
472 U.S. 372 · Decided June 17, 1985 · 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
Baldwin v. Alabama was decided on June 17, 1985 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the 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
- 472 U.S. 372 · 105 S. Ct. 2727 · 86 L. Ed. 2d 300 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 106
- Docket number
- 84-5743
- Decided
- June 17, 1985
- Argued
- March 27, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- 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
- Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Baldwin v. Alabama
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-124, docket 1984-124-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Caldwell v. Mississippi
- Cabana v. Bullock
- Skipper v. South Carolina
- Spaziano v. Florida
- Ford v. Wainwright
- Antone v. Dugger
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Whitley v. Albers
- California v. Brown
- Solem v. Helm
- Hutto v. Davis
- Rhodes v. Chapman
- Murray v. Giarratano
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Florida v. Rodriguez
- Thompson v. Louisiana
- Luce v. United States
- United States v. Abel
- United States v. Powell
- Garcia 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