Home > Great American Court Cases > Penry v. Lynaugh

Legal Citation: 492 U.S. 302 (1989)

Petitioner
Johnny Paul Penry

Respondent
James A. Lynaugh, Director, Texas Department of Corrections

Petitioner's Claim
That execution of the mentally retarded violates the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Curtis C. Mason

Chief Lawyer for Respondent
Charles A. Palmer

Justices for the Court
Anthony M. Kennedy, Sandra Day O'Connor (writing for the Court), William H. Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, Byron R. White,

Justices Dissenting
Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, John Paul Stevens

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
26 June 1989

Decision
The Supreme Court reversed Penry's death sentence.

Significance
Penry underscored...