Gray v. Mississippi
481 U.S. 648 · Decided May 18, 1987 · 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
Gray v. Mississippi was decided on May 18, 1987 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, jurors and death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 481 U.S. 648 · 107 S. Ct. 2045 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 622 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 2057
- Docket number
- 85-5454
- Decided
- May 18, 1987
- Argued
- November 12, 1986
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (other provisions)
- 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 | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Gray v. Mississippi
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-096, docket 1986-096-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, jurors and death penalty”
- Buchanan v. Kentucky
- Darden v. Wainwright
- Lockhart v. McCree
- Ross v. Oklahoma
- Wainwright v. Witt
- Derrick Morgan v. Illinois
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (other provisions)
- Turner v. Murray
- Holbrook v. Flynn
- Hildwin v. Florida
- Patton v. Yount
- Waller v. Georgia
- Walton v. Arizona
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colorado v. Connelly
- Griffith v. Kentucky
- Colorado v. Bertine
- Connecticut v. Barrett
- California v. Brown
- Colorado v. Spring
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