| Lankford v. Idaho | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued February 19, 1991 Decided May 20, 1991 | |
| Full case name | Bryan Stuart Lankford v. Idaho |
| Citations | 500 U.S. 110 (more) |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Case history | |
| Prior | State v. Lankford, 747 P.2d 710 |
| Holding | |
| The sentencing process in this case violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because, at the time of the sentencing hearing, Lankford and his counsel did not have adequate notice that the judge might sentence him to death. Idaho Supreme Court reversed and remanded. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Stevens, joined by Marshall, Blackmun, O'Connor, Kennedy |
| Dissent | Scalia, joined by Rehnquist, White, Souter |
Lankford v. Idaho, 500 U.S. 110 (1991), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the petitioner, Bryan Lankford, had been unconstitutionally sentenced to death in violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court held 5–4 that Lankford had not received adequate notice that he could be sentenced to death before the trial judge imposed such a sentence on him, and therefore reversed the prior ruling to the contrary by the Idaho Supreme Court.