Ingraham v. Wright was a landmark case in 1976 where the U.S Supreme Court ruled that corporal punishment in public schools did not qualify as cruel and unusual punishment, thus it didn't violate the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. The case arose when James Ingraham, a student at Drew Junior High School in Miami-Dade County, Florida, was subjected to disciplinary spanking which resulted in severe injuries requiring medical attention. He sued Willie J. Wright (the principal) and other school officials for using excessive force and violating his constitutional rights. However, by a vote of 5-4 majority decision led by Justice Powell, the court held that students do not lose their constitutional rights upon entering school but those rights must be balanced against schools' need to maintain an atmosphere conducive to learning; hence corporal punishment is permissible if it's within reasonable limits.

In the dissenting opinion for Ingraham v. Wright, Justice White argued that corporal punishment in public schools should be considered "cruel and unusual" under the Eighth Amendment. He contended that such punishments were often arbitrary, excessive, and inflicted without due process protections. Furthermore, he believed it was inappropriate to compare school discipline with criminal penalties because students do not have the same rights as accused criminals nor can they escape their environment as easily. He also disagreed with majority's reliance on history to justify corporal punishment in schools; just because a practice is longstanding does not make it constitutional or right. Finally, he expressed concern about potential abuses of power by teachers and administrators who are allowed to physically punish students at their discretion.