Hammett v. Texas
448 U.S. 725 · Decided July 2, 1980 · 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
Hammett v. Texas was decided on July 2, 1980 by a vote of 6–3. SCDB codes the disposition as “stay, petition, or motion granted.” 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
- 448 U.S. 725 · 100 S. Ct. 2905 · 65 L. Ed. 2d 1086 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 150
- Docket number
- 79-5050
- Decided
- July 2, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Stay, petition, or motion granted
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive 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
- Legal provision
- Supreme Court Rules
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Hammett v. Texas
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-156, docket 1979-156-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Beck v. AlabamaLaw held unconstitutional
- Godfrey v. Georgia
- Green v. Georgia
- Eddings v. Oklahoma
- Presnell v. Georgia
- Zant v. Stephens
Cases on the same legal provision: Supreme Court Rules
- Vendo Co. v. Lektro-Vend Corp.
- Snider v. All State Administrators, Inc.
- Bradley v. United States
- In re McDonald
- Wrenn v. Benson
- Durham v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Pilon v. Bordenkircher
- Perrin v. United States
- Ybarra v. Illinois
- Thompson v. United States
- United States v. Bailey
- Tague v. Louisiana
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