Supreme Court of the United States / October Term 2004

Donald P. Roper, Superintendent, Potosi Correctional Center v. Christopher Simmons

Decided March 1, 2005. Anthony McLeod Kennedy delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 03-633 · 543 U.S. 551 (2005) · Cited 3,523 times

Holding

The Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments forbid imposition of the death penalty on offenders who were under the age of 18 when their crimes were committed.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 5–4.

“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.

Atkins v. Virginia · 536 U.S. 304 (2002)
Stanford v. Kentucky · 492 U.S. 361 (1989)
Thompson v. Oklahoma · 487 U.S. 815 (1988)
Penry v. Lynaugh · 492 U.S. 302 (1989)
Coker v. Georgia · 433 U.S. 584 (1977)
Enmund v. Florida · 458 U.S. 782 (1982)
Eddings v. Oklahoma · 455 U.S. 104 (1982)
Trop v. Dulles · 356 U.S. 86 (1958)
Ford v. Wainwright · 477 U.S. 399 (1986)
Gregg v. Georgia · 428 U.S. 153 (1976)
Johnson v. Texas · 509 U.S. 350 (1993)
Furman v. Georgia · 408 U.S. 238 (1972)
Mapp v. Ohio · 367 U.S. 643 (1961)
Lockett v. Ohio · 438 U.S. 586 (1978)
Harmelin v. Michigan · 501 U.S. 957 (1991)
Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey · 505 U.S. 833 (1992)
McCleskey v. Kemp · 481 U.S. 279 (1987)
Rodriguez De Quijas v. Shearson/American Express, Inc. · 490 U.S. 477 (1989)
Godfrey v. Georgia · 446 U.S. 420 (1980)
United States v. Hatter · 532 U.S. 557 (2001)
Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics · 403 U.S. 388 (1971)
Roe v. Wade · 410 U.S. 113 (1973)
Witherspoon v. Illinois · 391 U.S. 510 (1968)
Robinson v. California · 370 U.S. 660 (1962)
Tennard v. Dretke, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division · 542 U.S. 274 (2004)
Rosenberger v. Rector & Visitors of University of Virginia · 515 U.S. 819 (1995)
Tison v. Arizona · 481 U.S. 137 (1987)
Lawrence v. Texas · 539 U.S. 558 (2003)
California v. Brown · 479 U.S. 538 (1987)
Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth · 428 U.S. 52 (1976)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

Kennedy v. Louisiana · 554 U.S. 407 (2008)
Miller v. Alabama · 567 U.S. 460 (2012)
Hall v. Florida · 572 U.S. 701 (2014)
Glossip v. Gross · 576 U.S. 863 (2015)
Moore v. Texas · 581 U.S. 1 (2017)
Jones v. Mississippi · 593 U.S. 98 (2021)
Panetti v. Quarterman · 551 U.S. 930 (2007)
Gall v. United States · 552 U.S. 38 (2007)
McDonald v. City of Chicago · 561 U.S. 742 (2010)
Lawrence v. Florida · 549 U.S. 327 (2007)
Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Assn. · 564 U.S. 786 (2011)
Woodford v. Ngo · 548 U.S. 81 (2006)
McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of Ky. · 545 U.S. 844 (2005)
United States v. Skrmetti · 605 U.S. 495 (2025)
United States v. Briggs · 592 U.S. 69 (2020)
City of Grants Pass v. Johnson · 603 U.S. 520 (2024)
National Cable & Telecommunications Assn. v. Brand X Internet Services · 545 U.S. 967 (2005)
Gonzales v. Oregon · 546 U.S. 243 (2006)
Brown v. Plata · 563 U.S. 493 (2011)
Van Orden v. Perry · 545 U.S. 677 (2005)
Kansas v. Marsh · 548 U.S. 163 (2006)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2005). 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).