Jurek v. Texas

Petitioner

Jerry Lane Jurek

Respondent

State of Texas

Petitioner's Claim

The death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment and violated the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

Anthony G. Amsterdam

Chief Lawyer for Respondent

John L. Hill

Justices for the Court

Harry A. Blackmun, Warren E. Burger, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens (writing for the Court), Potter Stewart, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting

William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

2 July 1976

Decision

Upheld the state of Texas' claim that the death penalty was not cruel and unusual punishment and therefore was not unconstitutional.

Related Cases

• Branch v. Texas, 408 U.S. 238 (1972).
• Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972).
• Jackson v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972).
• Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153 (1976).
• Woodson v. North Carolina, 428 U.S. 280 (1976).
• Jacobs v. Wainwright, 469 U.S. 1062 (1984).

Sources

U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Capital Punishment 1997. Washington, DC: U.S. Government, 1998.