The Law Dictionary for Everyone
The term “capital punishment” refers to the death penalty, which is the punishment for a crime by death. For example, capital punishment methods can include lethal injection, the electric chair or hanging. There is a great deal of controversy surrounding the issue of putting people to death, such that each state has different laws regarding this ultimate penalty. To explore […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Stanford v. Kentucky, 492 U.S. 361 (1989) Case Summary of Stanford v. Kentucky: Kevin Sanford, 17, committed a horrible rape and murder in Kentucky. Heath Wilkins, 16, committed a similarly horrible murder in Missouri. Both individuals were sentenced to death. The Kentucky and Missouri Supreme Courts affirmed the death penalty in their respective cases. […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Glossip v. Gross, 135 S. Ct. 2726 (2015) Case Summary of Glossip v. Gross: Following a botched execution by lethal injection and an investigation into the incident, Oklahoma approved a lethal injection method that incorporated the same drug used in the botched execution. Death row inmates sued to enjoin the use of one drug […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for McCleskey v. Kemp, 481 U.S. 279 (1987) Case Summary of McCleskey v. Kemp: Petitioner, an African-American man, was convicted in Georgia for murdering a white police officer and was sentenced to death. Seeking habeas corpus relief in federal district court, petitioner claimed that his death sentence was unconstitutional based on statistical study showing that […]
Read moreThe term “capital offense” is used to describe a crime that is so serious that the death penalty may be considered an adequate punishment. One of the most common examples of a capital offense would be murder. Treason, or the betrayal of one’s country, is also considered a capital offense, and it is punishable by death. To explore this concept, […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Gregg v. Georgia, United States Supreme Court,(1976) Case summary for Gregg v. Georgia: Gregg was convicted of murder and sentenced to the death penalty under a Georgia state statute. Gregg claimed the sentence violated the Eighth and 14th Amendment of the Constitution. The state Supreme Court affirmed the sentence for the murder conviction and […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005). Case Summary of Roper v. Simmons: Simmons, age 17, planned and committed a capital murder. He was sentenced to death. His direct appeal and petitions for relief were rejected. When the Supreme Court decided Atkins v. Virginia in 2002 (barring executions for the mentally disabled), Simmons filed a new […]
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