Powell v. Texas
392 U.S. 514 · Decided June 17, 1968 · 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
Powell v. Texas was decided on June 17, 1968 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Cruel and unusual punishment, non-death penalty” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 392 U.S. 514 · 88 S. Ct. 2145 · 20 L. Ed. 2d 1254 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 1140
- Docket number
- 405
- Decided
- June 17, 1968
- Argued
- March 7, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cruel and unusual punishment, non-death penalty
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Powell v. Texas
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-183, docket 1967-183-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cruel and unusual punishment, non-death penalty”
- Bitter v. United States
- Robinson v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Estelle v. Gamble
- Ingraham v. Wright
- Alabama v. Pugh
- Rummel v. Estelle
Cases on the same legal provision: Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
- Pope v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- Furman v. GeorgiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Stewart v. Massachusetts
- Gregg v. GeorgiaAltered precedent
- Proffitt v. Florida
- Jurek v. Texas
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Bitter v. United States
- Roberts v. United States
- Wood v. United States
- Pinto v. Pierce
- Beecher v. Alabama
- Garner v. Yeager
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