The Law Dictionary for Everyone
Following is the case brief for Robinson v. California, Supreme Court of the United States, (1962) Case summary for Robinson v. California: Robinson was a drug addict who was convicted under a California state statute which criminalized being addicted to drugs. The trial judge instructed the jury that Robinson could be convicted regardless of whether or not he was in […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Ewing v. California, Supreme Court of the United States, (2003) Case summary for Ewing v. California: Ewing was charged and convicted for stealing three golf clubs. Ewing previously committed two offenses, ripe under the states “three strikes” law. After receiving a sentence of 25 years imprisonment, Ewing challenged the law’s constitutionality under the Eight […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Atkins v. Virginia, Supreme Court of the United States, (2002) Case summary for Atkins v. Virginia: Daryl Atkins has an IQ of 59 and was sentenced to death for robbing and murdering a man at gun point. Atkins appealed his death sentence to the United States Supreme Court, claiming it violated the Eighth Amendment. […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Graham v. Florida, 560 U.S. 48 (2010). Case Summary of Graham v. Florida: Petitioner Graham committed two robbery-type offenses before he was 18 years old. He was ultimately sentenced to life without parole. Graham challenged his sentence as violative of the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. The Florida state courts denied […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Miller v. Alabama, 567 U.S. Supreme Court (2012). Case Summary of Miller v. Alabama: This case involves two companion cases. In both cases, a 14-year-old was convicted of murder and sentenced to a mandatory term of life in prison without parole. Both defendants argued that a sentence of life without parole for a juvenile violates the […]
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 […]
Read moreThe 8th Amendment to the United States Constitution, a part of the Bill of Rights, prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive fines, excessive bail, and cruel and unusual punishment. This is one of the shortest amendments to the Constitution, but it has a powerful effect, and has sparked a number of debates over the years since its ratification. To […]
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