Thompson v. Oklahoma
· Case: Thompson v. Oklahoma
· Year: 1988
· Result: 5-3, favor Thompson
· Related constitutional issue/amendment: Amendment 8: Cruel and Unusual Punishment
· Civil rights or Civil liberties: Civil Liberties
· Significance/Precedent: The execution of a 15 year old violated the 8th Amendment's protection against cruel and unusual punishments and was unconstitutional. The Court held that the execution of anyone under the age of 16 was unconstitutional.
· Quote from majority opinion: “In performing that task, the Court has reviewed the work product of state legislatures and sentencing juries, and has carefully considered the reasons why a civilized society may accept or reject the death penalty in certain types of cases. Thus, in confronting the question whether the youth of the defendant -- more specifically, the fact that he was less than 16 years old at the time of his offense -- is a sufficient reason for denying the State the power to sentence him to death, we first review relevant legislative enactments, then refer to jury determinations, and finally explain why these indicators of contemporary standards of decency confirm our judgment that such a young person is not capable of acting with the degree of culpability that can justify the ultimate penalty.”
· Illustration/image: See Below
· 6-word summary: Teen gets death penalty, Courts rejects.
· Year: 1988
· Result: 5-3, favor Thompson
· Related constitutional issue/amendment: Amendment 8: Cruel and Unusual Punishment
· Civil rights or Civil liberties: Civil Liberties
· Significance/Precedent: The execution of a 15 year old violated the 8th Amendment's protection against cruel and unusual punishments and was unconstitutional. The Court held that the execution of anyone under the age of 16 was unconstitutional.
· Quote from majority opinion: “In performing that task, the Court has reviewed the work product of state legislatures and sentencing juries, and has carefully considered the reasons why a civilized society may accept or reject the death penalty in certain types of cases. Thus, in confronting the question whether the youth of the defendant -- more specifically, the fact that he was less than 16 years old at the time of his offense -- is a sufficient reason for denying the State the power to sentence him to death, we first review relevant legislative enactments, then refer to jury determinations, and finally explain why these indicators of contemporary standards of decency confirm our judgment that such a young person is not capable of acting with the degree of culpability that can justify the ultimate penalty.”
· Illustration/image: See Below
· 6-word summary: Teen gets death penalty, Courts rejects.