{"ID":55242,"name":"Smith v. Texas","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/cases\/2004\/04-5323","view_count":0,"docket_number":"04-5323","additional_docket_numbers":null,"manner_of_jurisdiction":"Writ of \u003Ci\u003Ecertiorari\u003C\/i\u003E","first_party":"Smith","second_party":"Texas","timeline":[{"event":"Decided","dates":[1100498400],"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_timeline\/case_timeline\/39290"}],"lower_court":null,"facts_of_the_case":"\u003Cp\u003EBefore the Texas jury in Smith\u0027s murder trial reached its sentence, the judge issued a \u0022nullification instruction.\u0022 The judge told the jury to consider mitigating evidence when filling out the verdict form. That form consisted of two \u0022yes\u0022 or \u0022no\u0022 questions: whether Smith acted deliberately and whether he posed a future danger. The judge told jurors that even if they believed the state had proved that the answer to both questions was \u0022yes,\u0022 jurors should answer \u0022no\u0022 to at least one of them if they believed the death sentence should not be imposed because of the mitigating evidence. The jury answered \u0022yes\u0022 to both questions and sentenced Smith to death. Smith lost his appeal in state court.\u003C\/p\u003E\n","question":"\u003Cp\u003EWas the Eighth Amendment violated by jury instructions that told jurors to give effect to mitigating evidence only by voting \u0022no\u0022 on what would otherwise be affirmative responses to two special issues relating to deliberateness and future dangerousness?\u003C\/p\u003E\n","conclusion":"\u003Cp\u003EIn a 7-2 per curiam opinion, the Court held that instructing the jury to return a false answer to a special issue to avoid a death sentence did not allow the jury to fully consider Smith\u0027s relevant mitigating circumstances. The Court cited its decision in Penny v. Johnson (2001), which held a similar instruction unconstitutional.\u003C\/p\u003E\n","advocates":null,"oral_argument_audio":null,"citation":{"volume":"543","page":"37","year":"2004","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_citation\/case_citation\/19170"},"decisions":[{"description":null,"votes":[{"member":{"ID":15141,"name":"William H. Rehnquist","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/william_h_rehnquist","view_count":0,"last_name":"Rehnquist","roles":[{"id":2787,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":63612000,"date_end":528094800,"appointing_president":"Richard Nixon","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2787"},{"id":2788,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":528094800,"date_end":1125723600,"appointing_president":"Ronald Reagan","role_title":"Chief Justice of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2788"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32786,"mime":"image\/png","size":46923,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/william_h_rehnquist\/william_h_rehnquist.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":12293,"identifier":"william_h_rehnquist"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":1,"ideology":1.438,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/177744"},{"member":{"ID":15060,"name":"John Paul Stevens","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/john_paul_stevens","view_count":0,"last_name":"Stevens","roles":[{"id":2704,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":188200800,"date_end":1277787600,"appointing_president":"Gerald Ford","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2704"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32732,"mime":"image\/png","size":62101,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/john_paul_stevens\/john_paul_stevens.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":12611,"identifier":"john_paul_stevens"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":2,"ideology":-2.869,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/177745"},{"member":{"ID":15092,"name":"Sandra Day O\u0027Connor","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/sandra_day_oconnor","view_count":0,"last_name":"O\u0027Connor","roles":[{"id":2736,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":370242000,"date_end":1138687200,"appointing_president":"Ronald Reagan","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2736"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32763,"mime":"image\/png","size":49563,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/sandra_day_oconnor\/sandra_day_oconnor.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":8894,"identifier":"sandra_day_oconnor"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":3,"ideology":0.122,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/177746"},{"member":{"ID":15049,"name":"Antonin Scalia","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/antonin_scalia","view_count":0,"last_name":"Scalia","roles":[{"id":2693,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":528094800,"date_end":1455343200,"appointing_president":"Ronald Reagan","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2693"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32678,"mime":"image\/png","size":58944,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/antonin_scalia\/antonin_scalia.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":10732,"identifier":"antonin_scalia"},"vote":"minority","opinion_type":"dissent","joining":null,"seniority":4,"ideology":2.594,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/177747"},{"member":{"ID":15113,"name":"Anthony M. Kennedy","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/anthony_m_kennedy","view_count":0,"last_name":"Kennedy","roles":[{"id":2757,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":572162400,"date_end":1533013200,"appointing_president":"Ronald Reagan","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2757"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32679,"mime":"image\/png","size":47100,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/anthony_m_kennedy\/anthony_m_kennedy.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":11121,"identifier":"anthony_m_kennedy"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":5,"ideology":0.542,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/177748"},{"member":{"ID":15042,"name":"David H. Souter","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/david_h_souter","view_count":0,"last_name":"Souter","roles":[{"id":2686,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":655362000,"date_end":1246251600,"appointing_president":"George H. W. Bush","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2686"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32703,"mime":"image\/png","size":42141,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/david_h_souter\/david_h_souter.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":6839,"identifier":"david_h_souter"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":6,"ideology":-1.645,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/177749"},{"member":{"ID":15100,"name":"Clarence Thomas","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/clarence_thomas","view_count":0,"last_name":"Thomas","roles":[{"id":2744,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":688194000,"date_end":0,"appointing_president":"George H. W. Bush","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2744"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32680,"mime":"image\/png","size":49064,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/clarence_thomas\/clarence_thomas.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":12518,"identifier":"clarence_thomas"},"vote":"minority","opinion_type":"none","joining":[{"ID":15049,"name":"Antonin Scalia","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/antonin_scalia","view_count":0,"last_name":"Scalia","roles":[{"id":2693,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":528094800,"date_end":1455343200,"appointing_president":"Ronald Reagan","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2693"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32678,"mime":"image\/png","size":58944,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/antonin_scalia\/antonin_scalia.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":10732,"identifier":"antonin_scalia"}],"seniority":7,"ideology":3.923,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/177750"},{"member":{"ID":15084,"name":"Ruth Bader Ginsburg","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/ruth_bader_ginsburg","view_count":0,"last_name":"Ginsburg","roles":[{"id":2728,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":744958800,"date_end":1600405200,"appointing_president":"Bill Clinton","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2728"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32681,"mime":"image\/png","size":45030,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/ruth_bader_ginsburg\/ruth_bader_ginsburg.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":9901,"identifier":"ruth_bader_ginsburg"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":8,"ideology":-1.717,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/177751"},{"member":{"ID":15139,"name":"Stephen G. Breyer","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/stephen_g_breyer","view_count":0,"last_name":"Breyer","roles":[{"id":2785,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":775890000,"date_end":1656565200,"appointing_president":"Bill Clinton","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2785"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32682,"mime":"image\/png","size":49908,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/stephen_g_breyer\/stephen_g_breyer.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":10193,"identifier":"stephen_g_breyer"},"vote":"majority","opinion_type":"none","joining":null,"seniority":9,"ideology":-1.09,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/decision_vote\/decision_vote\/177752"}],"majority_vote":7,"minority_vote":2,"winning_party":"Smith","decision_type":"per curiam","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_decision\/case_decision\/13275"}],"first_party_label":"Petitioner","second_party_label":"Respondent","heard_by":[null],"decided_by":{"ID":15238,"name":"Rehnquist Court (1994-2005)","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/courts\/rehnquist10","view_count":0,"members":[{"ID":15141,"name":"William H. Rehnquist","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/william_h_rehnquist","view_count":0,"last_name":"Rehnquist","roles":[{"id":2787,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":63612000,"date_end":528094800,"appointing_president":"Richard Nixon","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2787"},{"id":2788,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":528094800,"date_end":1125723600,"appointing_president":"Ronald Reagan","role_title":"Chief Justice of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2788"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32786,"mime":"image\/png","size":46923,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/william_h_rehnquist\/william_h_rehnquist.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":12293,"identifier":"william_h_rehnquist"},{"ID":15060,"name":"John Paul Stevens","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/john_paul_stevens","view_count":0,"last_name":"Stevens","roles":[{"id":2704,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":188200800,"date_end":1277787600,"appointing_president":"Gerald Ford","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2704"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32732,"mime":"image\/png","size":62101,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/john_paul_stevens\/john_paul_stevens.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":12611,"identifier":"john_paul_stevens"},{"ID":15092,"name":"Sandra Day O\u0027Connor","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/sandra_day_oconnor","view_count":0,"last_name":"O\u0027Connor","roles":[{"id":2736,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":370242000,"date_end":1138687200,"appointing_president":"Ronald Reagan","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2736"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32763,"mime":"image\/png","size":49563,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/sandra_day_oconnor\/sandra_day_oconnor.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":8894,"identifier":"sandra_day_oconnor"},{"ID":15049,"name":"Antonin Scalia","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/antonin_scalia","view_count":0,"last_name":"Scalia","roles":[{"id":2693,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":528094800,"date_end":1455343200,"appointing_president":"Ronald Reagan","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2693"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32678,"mime":"image\/png","size":58944,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/antonin_scalia\/antonin_scalia.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":10732,"identifier":"antonin_scalia"},{"ID":15113,"name":"Anthony M. Kennedy","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/anthony_m_kennedy","view_count":0,"last_name":"Kennedy","roles":[{"id":2757,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":572162400,"date_end":1533013200,"appointing_president":"Ronald Reagan","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2757"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32679,"mime":"image\/png","size":47100,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/anthony_m_kennedy\/anthony_m_kennedy.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":11121,"identifier":"anthony_m_kennedy"},{"ID":15042,"name":"David H. Souter","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/david_h_souter","view_count":0,"last_name":"Souter","roles":[{"id":2686,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":655362000,"date_end":1246251600,"appointing_president":"George H. W. Bush","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2686"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32703,"mime":"image\/png","size":42141,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/david_h_souter\/david_h_souter.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":6839,"identifier":"david_h_souter"},{"ID":15100,"name":"Clarence Thomas","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/clarence_thomas","view_count":0,"last_name":"Thomas","roles":[{"id":2744,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":688194000,"date_end":0,"appointing_president":"George H. W. Bush","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2744"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32680,"mime":"image\/png","size":49064,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/clarence_thomas\/clarence_thomas.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":12518,"identifier":"clarence_thomas"},{"ID":15084,"name":"Ruth Bader Ginsburg","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/ruth_bader_ginsburg","view_count":0,"last_name":"Ginsburg","roles":[{"id":2728,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":744958800,"date_end":1600405200,"appointing_president":"Bill Clinton","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2728"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32681,"mime":"image\/png","size":45030,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/ruth_bader_ginsburg\/ruth_bader_ginsburg.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":9901,"identifier":"ruth_bader_ginsburg"},{"ID":15139,"name":"Stephen G. Breyer","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/stephen_g_breyer","view_count":0,"last_name":"Breyer","roles":[{"id":2785,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":775890000,"date_end":1656565200,"appointing_president":"Bill Clinton","role_title":"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States","institution_name":"Supreme Court of the United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/preson_role\/scotus_justice\/2785"}],"thumbnail":{"id":32682,"mime":"image\/png","size":49908,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/people\/stephen_g_breyer\/stephen_g_breyer.thumb.png"},"length_of_service":10193,"identifier":"stephen_g_breyer"}],"court_start":775890000,"images":[{"id":78530,"mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1115948,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/courts\/rehnquist10.jpg"}],"identifier":"rehnquist10"},"term":"2004","location":null,"opinion_announcement":null,"description":null,"written_opinion":[{"id":2629,"title":"Dissenting opinion","author":null,"type":{"value":"dissenting","label":"Dissenting opinion"},"justia_opinion_id":1961750,"justia_opinion_url":"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/543\/37\/dissent.html","judge_full_name":"Antonin Scalia","judge_last_name":"Scalia","title_overwrite":null,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_document\/written_opinion\/2629"},{"id":2630,"title":"Opinion of the Court","author":null,"type":{"value":"majority","label":"Opinion of the Court"},"justia_opinion_id":1961751,"justia_opinion_url":"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/543\/37\/","judge_full_name":null,"judge_last_name":null,"title_overwrite":null,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_document\/written_opinion\/2630"}],"related_cases":null,"justia_url":"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/543\/37\/","argument2_url":null}