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Lee v. Missouri

U.S.
Jan 15, 1979
439 U.S. 461 (1979)

Summary

finding women a distinctive group

Summary of this case from Brewer v. Nix

Opinion

ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME COURT OF MISSOURI

No. 77-6066.

Decided January 15, 1979

Together with No. 77-6068, Minor v. Missouri, also on certiorari to, and No. 77-6553, Arrington v. Missouri, on appeal from, the same court, and No. 77-6701, Burnfin v. Missouri, and No. 77-7012, Combs v. Missouri, on certiorari to the Court of Appeals of Missouri, Kansas City District.

Judgments of Missouri Supreme Court and Missouri Court of Appeals affirming convictions as against fair-cross-section claims based on exclusion of women from juries are vacated, and the cases are remanded for reconsideration in light of Duren v. Missouri, ante, p. 357. Because Duren does not announce any "new standards" of constitutional law not evident from the decision in Taylor v. Louisiana, 419 U.S. 522, the considerations calling for departure from full retroactive application of constitutional holdings are inapplicable to juries sworn after the Taylor decision.

Certiorari granted in Nos. 77-6066, 77-6068, 77-6701, and 77-7012. 556 S.W.2d 11; 556 S.W.2d 25; 556 S.W.2d 135; 559 S.W.2d 749; 560 S.W.2d 283; and 564 S.W.2d 328, vacated and remanded.



The motions for leave to proceed in forma pauperis are granted.

In each of these cases, the trial court denied a timely motion to quash the petit jury panel. On appeal, the convictions were affirmed on the basis of State v. Duren, 556 S.W.2d 11 (Mo. 1977). State v. Lee, 556 S.W.2d 25 (Mo. 1977); State v. Minor, 556 S.W.2d 35 (Mo. 1977); State v. Arrington, 559 S.W.2d 749 (Mo. 1978); State v. Burnfin, 560 S.W.2d 283 (Mo.App. 1977); State v. Combs, 564 S.W.2d 328 (Mo.App. 1978).

We reversed the decision below in Duren because of inconsistency with the principles enunciated in Taylor v. Louisiana, 419 U.S. 522 (1975). Ante, p. 357. The State of Missouri has urged that our decision in Duren not be applied retroactively to petitioners or appellants other than Duren himself. However, because that decision does not announce any "new standards" of constitutional law not evident from the decision in Taylor v. Louisiana, the considerations that have led us in other cases to depart from full retroactive application of constitutional holdings, see, e. g., Stovall v. Denno, 388 U.S. 293, 297 (1967), are inapplicable to juries sworn after the decision in Taylor v. Louisiana. Compare Daniel v. Louisiana, 420 U.S. 31 (1975), holding Taylor v. Louisiana inapplicable to cases in which the jury was sworn prior to the date of that decision.

We note that in any case in which a jury was sworn subsequent to Taylor v. Louisiana and the fair-cross-section claim based on exclusion of women was rejected on direct review or in state collateral proceedings because of the defendant's failure to assert the claim in timely fashion, relief is unavailable under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 unless the petitioner can show cause for having failed to raise his claim properly in the state courts. See Wainwright v. Sykes, 433 U.S. 72 (1977).

The petitions for certiorari in Nos. 77-6066, 77-6068, 77-6701, and 77-7012 are granted. The judgments below in those cases, together with that in No. 77-6553, are vacated, and the cases are remanded for reconsideration in light of Duren v. Missouri, ante, p. 357.

So ordered.

[For opinion of MR. JUSTICE POWELL concurring in the judgments, see ante, p. 460.]

MR. JUSTICE REHNQUIST dissents.


Summaries of

Lee v. Missouri

U.S.
Jan 15, 1979
439 U.S. 461 (1979)

finding women a distinctive group

Summary of this case from Brewer v. Nix

In Lee v. Missouri, 439 U.S. 461, 99 S.Ct. 710, 58 L.Ed.2d 736 (1979), the Supreme Court held that the 1979 Duren decision would be retroactively applied to any jury sworn after the 1975 Taylor decision, because Duren did not announce any new standards of constitutional law not evident from Taylor.

Summary of this case from Smith v. Kemp

In Lee v. Missouri, 439 U.S. 461, 99 S.Ct. 710, 58 L.Ed.2d 736 (1979) (per curiam), the Supreme Court held that Duren is retroactively applicable to a jury sworn after the decision in Taylor because Duren did not establish any new principles of constitutional law not already settled by Taylor.

Summary of this case from Machetti v. Linahan

In Lee v. Missouri, 439 U.S. 461, 99 S.Ct. 710, 58 L.Ed.2d 736 (1979), the Court ordered that the Duren decision be retroactively applied to all juries sworn after the 1975 ruling in Taylor v. Louisiana, 419 U.S. 522, 95 S.Ct. 692, 42 L.Ed.2d 690 (1975), which set out the basic constitutional guidelines for jury selection.

Summary of this case from Alachua County Court Executive v. Anthony

In Lee v. Missouri, 439 U.S. 461, 99 S.Ct. 710, 58 L.Ed.2d 736 (1979), the Court ruled that because Duren did not "announce any `new standards' of constitutional law not evident from the decision in Taylor v. Louisiana, the considerations that have led us in other cases to depart from full retroactive application of constitutional holdings [citations omitted] are inapplicable to juries sworn after the decision in Taylor v. Louisiana."

Summary of this case from State v. O'Coin

In Lee v. Missouri, 439 U.S. 461, 462, 99 S.Ct. 710, 711, 58 L.Ed.2d 736 (1979), the United States Supreme Court stated that a claim based on exclusion of women from the jury is unavailable where it was not timely asserted "unless the petitioner can show cause for having failed to raise his claim properly in the state courts.

Summary of this case from Covington v. State
Case details for

Lee v. Missouri

Case Details

Full title:LEE v . MISSOURI

Court:U.S.

Date published: Jan 15, 1979

Citations

439 U.S. 461 (1979)
99 S. Ct. 710

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