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Paul Palalaua Tuilaepa v. California

512 U.S. 967 · Decided June 30, 1994 · 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

Paul Palalaua Tuilaepa v. California was decided on June 30, 1994 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy 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
512 U.S. 967 · 114 S. Ct. 2630 · 129 L. Ed. 2d 750 · 1994 U.S. LEXIS 5084
Docket number
93-5131
Decided
June 30, 1994
Argued
March 22, 1994
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
8–1
Majority opinion
Anthony M. Kennedy
Opinion assigned by
William H. Rehnquist
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Legal provision
Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Harry A. BlackmunDissentWrote an opinion
Chief Justice William H. RehnquistMajority
Justice John Paul StevensSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Sandra Day O'ConnorMajority
Justice Antonin ScaliaConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Anthony M. KennedyMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice David H. SouterConcurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Clarence ThomasMajority
Justice Ruth Bader GinsburgSpecial concurrence

Full case caption

Paul Palalaua Tuilaepa v. California

SCDB identifiers: case 1993-095, docket 1993-095-01.

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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