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Lockhart v. McCree

Significance, The Lower Courts Rule, The Majority's Argument, The Dissent, Related Cases



Petitioner

A. L. Lockhart

Respondent

Ardia V. McCree

Petitioner's Claim

That the removal of prospective jurors who oppose the death penalty is a violation of a defendant's constitutional rights.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

John Steven Clark

Chief Lawyer for Respondent

Samuel R. Gross

Justices for the Court

Harry A. Blackmun, Warren E. Burger, Sandra Day O'Connor, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist (writing for the Court), Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting

William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, John Paul Stevens

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

5 May 1986

Decision

That the removal of prospective jurors who oppose capital punishment is not unconstitutional.

Further Readings

  • Chandler, Ralph C. The Constitutional Law Dictionary. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio, Inc., 1987.
  • Haney, Craig, and Deana Dorman Logan. "Broken Promise: The Supreme Court's Response to Social Science Research on Capital Punishment." Journal of Social Issues, summer 1994, p. 75.

Additional topics

Law Library - American Law and Legal InformationNotable Trials and Court Cases - 1981 to 1988