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Greene v. Georgia, 519 U.S. 145 (1996)
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General SummaryThis case is from a collection containing the full text of over 16,000 Supreme Court cases from 1793 to the present. The body of Supreme Court decisions are, effectively, the final interpretation of the Constitution. Only an amendment to the Constitution can permanently overturn an interpretation and this has happened only four times in American history.
Greene v. Georgia, 519 U.S. 145 (1996)
Greene v. Georgia No. 96-5369 Decided December 16, 1996 519 U.S. 145
ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI
TO THE SUPREME COURT OF GEORGIA
Syllabus
Petitioner was convicted of murder, armed robbery, and aggravated assault by a Georgia jury and sentenced to death. Over his objection, the trial court excused for cause five jurors who expressed reservations about the death penalty. The State Supreme Court affirmed, citing Wainwright v. Witt, 469 U.S. 412, as controlling authority for a rule that appellate courts must defer to trial courts’ juror bias findings.
Held: Witt is not controlling authority as to the standard of review to be applied by state appellate courts reviewing trial courts’ jury selection rulings. Witt arose on federal habeas, where deference to state court findings is mandated by 28 U.S.C. 2254(d), but that statute does not govern the standard of review of trial court findings by the Georgia Supreme Court. That court mistakenly believed itself bound by Witt’s standard. It is free to adopt that standard, but it need not do so.
Certiorari granted; 266 Ga. 439, 469 S.E.2d 129, reversed and remanded.
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Chicago:
U.S. Supreme Court, "Syllabus," Greene v. Georgia, 519 U.S. 145 (1996) in 519 U.S. 145 Original Sources, accessed August 2, 2025, http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=SWCMJ7E27124139.
MLA:
U.S. Supreme Court. "Syllabus." Greene v. Georgia, 519 U.S. 145 (1996), in 519 U.S. 145, Original Sources. 2 Aug. 2025. http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=SWCMJ7E27124139.
Harvard:
U.S. Supreme Court, 'Syllabus' in Greene v. Georgia, 519 U.S. 145 (1996). cited in 1996, 519 U.S. 145. Original Sources, retrieved 2 August 2025, from http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=SWCMJ7E27124139.
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