Bucklew v. Precythe
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
Ellensburg
Event Website
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source
Start Date
16-5-2019
End Date
16-5-2019
Abstract
The Eighth Amendment, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment, is central to America’s self-concept- a country that upholds a fair and just system of law. However, within the bounds of “cruel and unusual” there is an extraordinary amount of gray space yet to be filled and room for interpretation. Russell Bucklew, a convicted murderer, seeks in his case to fill in some of this space with a bit of color- arguing that Missouri’s lethal injection protocol would constitute cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment as applied to him because of a unique congenital medical condition from which he suffers. In this presentation I will provide a robust look at the eighth amendment, providing a history of this case and a review of notable eighth amendment cases and their potential effects on Bucklew, as well as the specific positions taken on either side of this case. Lastly, through analysis of the current Supreme Court and further synthesis of their questions during oral argument, I will attempt to predict the outcome of Bucklew and explain its future significance for our country.
Recommended Citation
Fore, Megan, "Bucklew v. Precythe" (2019). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 198.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2019/Oralpres/198
Department/Program
Law and Justice
Bucklew v. Precythe
Ellensburg
The Eighth Amendment, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment, is central to America’s self-concept- a country that upholds a fair and just system of law. However, within the bounds of “cruel and unusual” there is an extraordinary amount of gray space yet to be filled and room for interpretation. Russell Bucklew, a convicted murderer, seeks in his case to fill in some of this space with a bit of color- arguing that Missouri’s lethal injection protocol would constitute cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment as applied to him because of a unique congenital medical condition from which he suffers. In this presentation I will provide a robust look at the eighth amendment, providing a history of this case and a review of notable eighth amendment cases and their potential effects on Bucklew, as well as the specific positions taken on either side of this case. Lastly, through analysis of the current Supreme Court and further synthesis of their questions during oral argument, I will attempt to predict the outcome of Bucklew and explain its future significance for our country.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2019/Oralpres/198
Faculty Mentor(s)
Robert Claridge