Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> Texas Death Penalty Blog

Criminal Law

: Texas Death Penalty Blog

Supreme Court rejects death penalty for raping children

By "Persian Cowboy"

The Court has released the opinion in Kennedy v. Louisiana (07-343), on whether the Eighth Amendment prohibits states from imposing the death penalty for child rape, and, if not, whether Louisiana's statute fails to narrow the class of offenders eligible for the death penalty. The Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to impose the death penalty for the crime of raping a child, when the victim does not die and death was not intended. The vote was 5 - 4 and the decision was written by Justice Kennedy. Dissenting were Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Alito, Justice Thomas and Justice Scalia. SCOTUSblog has posted the decision online. You can read the New York Times article online. Also here is the AP article about today's ruling.Court rejects death penalty for raping children By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer 38 minutes ago The Supreme Court has struck down a Louisiana law that allows the execution of people convicted of a raping a child...continue to full post

Full post as published by Texas Death Penalty Blog on June 25, 2008 (boomark / email).