McCleskey v. Kemp
481 U.S. 279 · Decided April 22, 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
McCleskey v. Kemp was decided on April 22, 1987 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. 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
- 481 U.S. 279 · 107 S. Ct. 1756 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 262 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 1817
- Docket number
- 84-6811
- Decided
- April 22, 1987
- Argued
- October 15, 1986
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
McCleskey v. Kemp, Superintendent, Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-080, docket 1986-080-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, death penalty”
- Hitchcock v. Dugger
- Tison v. Arizona
- Booth v. MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- Sumner v. ShumanLaw held unconstitutional
- Lowenfield v. Phelps
- Ford v. Wainwright
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- United States v. Paradise
- Posadas de Puerto Rico Associates v. Tourism Company of Puerto Rico
- Davis v. Bandemer
- Attorney General of New York v. Soto-LopezLaw held unconstitutional
- Reed v. Campbell
- Wygant v. Jackson Board of Education
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