Supreme Court and the Modern Death Penalty Doctrine: Hall v. Florida and the Application of the Death Penalty
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC 137A
Start Date
21-5-2015
End Date
21-5-2015
Keywords
Intellectual Disability, Death Penalty
Abstract
This research will examine the Supreme Court’s decision involving the application of the death penalty in the State of Florida involving an individual with an intellectual disability. I will examine the Hall v. Florida decision handed down by the Supreme Court in May, 2014, in which the judges constructed their decisions on an established Supreme Court case Atkins v. Virginia. In Atkins v. Virginia, the Supreme Court concluded that criminal defendants with mental retardation could not be sentenced to death or be executed due to the fact that such an execution would constitute cruel and unusual punishment and, therefore, it violates an individual’s constitutional right. Cruel and unusual punishment was prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. Using Atkins as precedent, the Supreme Court of the United States addressed the constitutionality of Florida’s application of the death penalty when dealing with individuals with an intellectual disability. This presentation will outline Hall v. Florida, Atkins v. Virginia, and the role of the Supreme Court when protecting individuals with intellectual disability from the death penalty. The research will include previous case law, legal questions decided, holding and rational of the court, facts of the case, and policy implications for the area of law and as well as the criminal justice aspect.
Recommended Citation
Jammeh, Njambou, "Supreme Court and the Modern Death Penalty Doctrine: Hall v. Florida and the Application of the Death Penalty" (2015). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 29.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2015/oralpresentations/29
Department/Program
Political Science
Additional Mentoring Department
Law & Justice
Supreme Court and the Modern Death Penalty Doctrine: Hall v. Florida and the Application of the Death Penalty
SURC 137A
This research will examine the Supreme Court’s decision involving the application of the death penalty in the State of Florida involving an individual with an intellectual disability. I will examine the Hall v. Florida decision handed down by the Supreme Court in May, 2014, in which the judges constructed their decisions on an established Supreme Court case Atkins v. Virginia. In Atkins v. Virginia, the Supreme Court concluded that criminal defendants with mental retardation could not be sentenced to death or be executed due to the fact that such an execution would constitute cruel and unusual punishment and, therefore, it violates an individual’s constitutional right. Cruel and unusual punishment was prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. Using Atkins as precedent, the Supreme Court of the United States addressed the constitutionality of Florida’s application of the death penalty when dealing with individuals with an intellectual disability. This presentation will outline Hall v. Florida, Atkins v. Virginia, and the role of the Supreme Court when protecting individuals with intellectual disability from the death penalty. The research will include previous case law, legal questions decided, holding and rational of the court, facts of the case, and policy implications for the area of law and as well as the criminal justice aspect.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Cody Stoddard