Dobbert v. Florida
Decided June 17, 1977. William Hubbs Rehnquist delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 76-5306 · 432 U.S. 282 (1977) · Cited 1,651 times
We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.
How the Justices voted
Decided 6–3.
Majority · 5
- William Hubbs Rehnquist · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Byron Raymond White
- Harry Andrew Blackmun
- Lewis Franklin Powell Jr.
- Potter Stewart
Concurring · 1
- Warren Earl Burger · filed a concurring opinion
Dissenting · 3
- John Paul Stevens · filed a dissenting opinion
- Thurgood Marshall · filed a dissenting opinion
- William Joseph Brennan Jr. · filed a dissenting opinion
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Furman v. Georgia · 408 U.S. 238 (1972)
- Proffitt v. Florida · 428 U.S. 242 (1976)
- Lindsey v. Washington · 301 U.S. 397 (1937)
- Murphy v. Florida · 421 U.S. 794 (1975)
- Calder v. Bull · 3 U.S. 386 (1798)
- Grayned v. City of Rockford · 408 U.S. 104 (1972)
- Hopt v. People of Territory of Utah · 110 U.S. 574 (1884)
- Kring v. Missouri · 107 U.S. 221 (1883)
- Beazell v. Ohio · 269 U.S. 167 (1925)
- Malloy v. South Carolina · 237 U.S. 180 (1915)
- Chicot County Drainage District v. Baxter State Bank · 308 U.S. 371 (1940)
- Thompson v. Utah · 170 U.S. 343 (1898)
- Medley · 134 U.S. 160 (1890)
- Gregg v. Georgia · 428 U.S. 153 (1976)
- Irvin v. Dowd · 366 U.S. 717 (1961)
- Skinner v. Oklahoma Ex Rel. Williamson · 316 U.S. 535 (1942)
- Police Dept. of Chicago v. Mosley · 408 U.S. 92 (1972)
- James v. United States · 366 U.S. 213 (1961)
- Norton v. Shelby County · 118 U.S. 425 (1886)
- Thompson v. Missouri · 171 U.S. 380 (1898)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Miller v. Florida · 482 U.S. 423 (1987)
- Weaver v. Graham · 450 U.S. 24 (1981)
- Spaziano v. Florida · 468 U.S. 447 (1984)
- Harris v. Alabama · 513 U.S. 504 (1995)
- Lynce v. Mathis · 519 U.S. 433 (1997)
- California Department of Corrections v. Morales · 514 U.S. 499 (1995)
- Peugh v. United States · 569 U.S. 530 (2013)
- Carmell v. Texas · 529 U.S. 513 (2000)
- Corbitt v. New Jersey · 439 U.S. 212 (1978)
- Landgraf v. USI Film Products · 511 U.S. 244 (1994)
- Lindh v. Murphy · 521 U.S. 320 (1997)
- Schriro v. Summerlin · 542 U.S. 348 (2004)
- Enmund v. Florida · 458 U.S. 782 (1982)
- Pulley v. Harris · 465 U.S. 37 (1984)
- Collins v. Youngblood · 497 U.S. 37 (1990)
- Clemons v. Mississippi · 494 U.S. 738 (1990)
- Barclay v. Florida · 463 U.S. 939 (1983)
- Sawyer v. Smith · 497 U.S. 227 (1990)
- Dugger v. Adams · 489 U.S. 401 (1989)
- Parker v. Dugger · 498 U.S. 308 (1991)
- Barber v. Thomas · 560 U.S. 474 (2010)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).