Ford v. Wainwright
477 U.S. 399 · Decided June 26, 1986 · 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
Ford v. Wainwright was decided on June 26, 1986 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Thurgood Marshall 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
- 477 U.S. 399 · 106 S. Ct. 2595 · 91 L. Ed. 2d 335 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 64
- Docket number
- 85-5542
- Decided
- June 26, 1986
- Argued
- April 22, 1986
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Ford v. Wainwright, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-131, docket 1985-131-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Skipper v. South Carolina
- Cabana v. Bullock
- Tison v. Arizona
- McCleskey v. Kemp
- Hitchcock v. Dugger
- Booth v. MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Whitley v. Albers
- California v. Brown
- Murray v. Giarratano
- Solem v. Helm
- Hutto v. Davis
- Pearly L. Wilson v. Richard Seiter
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Delaware v. Fensterer
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- Pennsylvania v. Goldhammer
- Hill v. Lockhart
- Heath v. Alabama
- Miller v. Fenton
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