Robinson v. California
| Robinson v. California | |
|---|---|
| Argued April 17, 1962 Decided June 25, 1962 | |
| Full case name | Robinson v. California |
| Citations | 370 U.S. 660 (more) 82 S. Ct. 1417; 8 L. Ed. 2d 758; 1962 U.S. LEXIS 850 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Appeal from the Appellate Department, Superior Court of California of the County of Los Angeles. |
| Subsequent | Rehearing denied, 371 U.S. 905 (1962). |
| Holding | |
| Punishing a person for a medical condition is a violation of the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Stewart, joined by Warren, Black, Douglas, Harlan, Brennan |
| Concurrence | Douglas |
| Concurrence | Harlan |
| Dissent | Clark |
| Dissent | White |
| Frankfurter took no part in the consideration or decision of the case. | |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amends. VIII, XIV | |
Robinson v. California, 370 U.S. 660 (1962), is the first landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court in which the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution was interpreted to prohibit criminalization of particular acts or conduct, as contrasted with prohibiting the use of a particular form of punishment for a crime. In Robinson, the Court struck down a California law that criminalized being addicted to narcotics.