Home > Great American Court Cases > Jurek v. Texas

Legal Citation: 428 U.S. 262 (1976)

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...