Green v. Georgia
442 U.S. 95 · Decided May 29, 1979 · 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
Green v. Georgia was decided on May 29, 1979 by a vote of 8–1. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. 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
- 442 U.S. 95 · 99 S. Ct. 2150 · 60 L. Ed. 2d 738 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 120
- Docket number
- 78-5944
- Decided
- May 29, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- 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
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- 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. | Special concurrence | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Co-authored an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Green v. Georgia
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-104, docket 1978-104-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Presnell v. Georgia
- Lockett v. OhioLaw held unconstitutional
- Bell v. Ohio
- Godfrey v. Georgia
- Beck v. AlabamaLaw held unconstitutional
- Hammett v. Texas
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Greenholtz v. Inmates of the Nebraska Penal and Correction Complex
- County Court of Ulster County v. Allen
- Kentucky v. Whorton
- Sandstrom v. Montana
- Parham v. J.R.
- Secretary of Public Welfare of Pennsylvania v. Institutionalized Juveniles
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Presnell v. Georgia
- Rakas v. Illinois
- Corbitt v. New Jersey
- Massachusetts v. White
- Michigan v. Doran
- Lee v. Missouri
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