John Paul Penry v. Gary L. Johnson
532 U.S. 782 · Decided June 4, 2001 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
John Paul Penry v. Gary L. Johnson was decided on June 4, 2001 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 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
- 532 U.S. 782 · 121 S. Ct. 1910 · 150 L. Ed. 2d 9 · 2001 U.S. LEXIS 4309
- Docket number
- 00-6677
- Decided
- June 4, 2001
- Argued
- March 27, 2001
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
John Paul Penry v. Gary L. Johnson, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division
SCDB identifiers: case 2000-064, docket 2000-064-01.
Related decisions
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Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Ohio v. Matthew Reiner
- David R. McKune v. Robert G. Lile
- Ben Chavez v. Oliverio Martinez
- Amanda Mitchell v. United States
- United States v. Aloyzas Balsys
- J. D. B. v. North Carolina
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Christopher Artuz v. Tony Bruce Bennett
- Carl W. Cleveland v. United States
- City of Indianapolis v. James EdmondLaw held unconstitutional
- Paul L. Glover v. United States
- Christopher A. Lopez v. Randy J. Davis
- Illinois v. Charles McArthur
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