Coker v. Georgia
E303643
Coker v. Georgia is a 1977 U.S. Supreme Court decision that held the death penalty is a disproportionate punishment for the crime of raping an adult woman, thereby limiting the application of capital punishment under the Eighth Amendment.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Coker v. Georgia canonical | 3 |
Statements (51)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Eighth Amendment case
ⓘ
United States Supreme Court case ⓘ capital punishment case ⓘ criminal law case ⓘ |
| areaOfLaw |
Eighth Amendment jurisprudence
ⓘ
capital punishment law ⓘ constitutional law ⓘ criminal procedure ⓘ |
| arguedDate | March 28, 1977 ⓘ |
| citation | 433 U.S. 584 ⓘ |
| concurringOpinionBy |
Potter Stewart
ⓘ
Thurgood Marshall ⓘ William J. Brennan Jr. ⓘ |
| constitutionalProvisionInterpreted |
Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
ⓘ
Fourteenth Amendment ⓘ
surface form:
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
|
| court | Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ |
| decisionDate | June 29, 1977 ⓘ |
| decisionType | plurality decision ⓘ |
| dissentingOpinionBy |
Lewis F. Powell Jr.
ⓘ
Warren E. Burger ⓘ William H. Rehnquist ⓘ |
| docketNumber | 75-5444 ⓘ |
| effect |
Constrained states’ ability to impose death penalty for non-homicide crimes against individuals
ⓘ
Invalidated death penalty for rape of an adult woman in Georgia ⓘ |
| fullName | Coker v. Georgia self-link ⓘ |
| holding |
The death penalty for the rape of an adult woman violates the Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishments
ⓘ
The death penalty is a grossly disproportionate and excessive punishment for the crime of raping an adult woman ⓘ |
| joinedByInPlurality |
Harry A. Blackmun
ⓘ
Lewis F. Powell Jr. ⓘ Thurgood Marshall ⓘ |
| jurisdiction |
Georgia
ⓘ
surface form:
State of Georgia
|
| legalIssue | Whether the death penalty is a constitutionally permissible punishment for the rape of an adult woman ⓘ |
| majorityOpinionBy | Byron R. White ⓘ |
| originatingCourt | Supreme Court of Georgia ⓘ |
| petitioner | Erlich Anthony Coker ⓘ |
| pluralityOpinionBy | Byron R. White ⓘ |
| precedentFor |
Limiting use of the death penalty to crimes resulting in death
ⓘ
Prohibiting capital punishment for the rape of an adult woman ⓘ |
| punishmentChallenged | death penalty ⓘ |
| relatedCase |
Furman v. Georgia
ⓘ
Gregg v. Georgia ⓘ Kennedy v. Louisiana ⓘ |
| reporter | United States Reports ⓘ |
| respondent |
Georgia
ⓘ
surface form:
State of Georgia
|
| result |
Conviction for rape affirmed but death sentence vacated
ⓘ
Death sentence for rape of an adult woman held unconstitutional ⓘ |
| stateLawInvolved | Georgia capital punishment statute for rape ⓘ |
| subjectMatter | rape of an adult woman ⓘ |
| volume | 433 ⓘ |
| vote | 7-2 on the judgment ⓘ |
| year | 1977 ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.