Terry Foucha v. Louisiana
504 U.S. 71 · Decided May 18, 1992 · 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
Terry Foucha v. Louisiana was decided on May 18, 1992 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, miscellaneous” in the Due Process area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 504 U.S. 71 · 112 S. Ct. 1780 · 118 L. Ed. 2d 437 · 1992 U.S. LEXIS 2703
- Docket number
- 90-5844
- Decided
- May 18, 1992
- Argued
- November 4, 1991
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Byron R. White
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Terry Foucha v. Louisiana
SCDB identifiers: case 1991-069, docket 1991-069-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, miscellaneous”
- Teofilo Medina, Jr. v. California
- Diane Griffin v. United States
- Edward Harold Schad, Jr. v. Arizona
- Leonard Heller v. Samuel Doe
- Michael H. v. Gerald D.
- Arizona v. Youngblood
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Quill Corporation v. North Dakota by and Through Its Tax CommissionerAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Derrick Morgan v. Illinois
- Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Robert P. Casey, Etc.Altered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Wayne Estelle v. Mark Owen McGuire
- Al C. Parke v. Ricky Harold Raley
- Leonel Torres Herrera v. James A. Collins
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- Diane Griffin v. United States
- Robert C. Rufo v. Inmates of the Suffolk County Jail
- John K. Yee v. City of Escondido
- Teofilo Medina, Jr. v. California
- David H. Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council
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