The Supreme Court and Capital Punishment (The Supreme Court's Power in American Government)

Through expert analysis and primary documents, The Supreme Court and Capital Punishment explores how rulings throughout the Courts history have shaped the guidelines under which Americans have been tried, convicted, sentenced, and put to death for capital offenses. Historian Michael Parrish recounts the history of the Courts involvement in all aspects of the death penalty, chronicling the major cases that define American capital punishment jurisprudence. Placing considerable emphasis upon twentieth century developments, the book examines the impact of these rulings upon the behavior of legislators, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and defendants. The book also discusses in great detail the impact of race on the death penalty. As defendants and victims, African-Americans on trial for their lives in Southern courts became the central figures in the design and redesign of capital punishment in the twentieth century. The book illustrates how the Courts effective counsel decisions have played a major role in how states shape their public defender systems and how they respond to the claims of impoverished defendants charged with capital crimes. Other important topics include the Courts rulings on the constitutionality of execution methods; public opinion; the execution of minors and the mentally ill; and recent state death penalty repeals. From the late nineteenth century to the present, decisions by the Supreme Court have played a significant role in how American governments, especially at the state level, have carried out the death penalty. With more than 3,400 prisoners, including 118 foreign nationals, now on death rows, the Court's role is not likely to diminish in this area over the next several decades, barring a major shift in state laws and public opinion Before Moore V. Dempsey : Judging Death, 1789-1923 -- The Road To Furman : The Due Process Revolution, 1923-1971 -- Furman And Gregg : Moratorium And Reinstatment, 1972-1976 -- Delegating Death : The White-rehnquist Court, 1976-1989 -- Tinkering With The Machinery : Limiting Death, Reaffirming Death, 1989-2009. Michael Parrish. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Explores how Supreme Court rulings over its history have shaped and reshaped the rules under which Americans have been tried, convicted, sentenced and put to death for capital offenses This book recounts the history of the Supreme Court's involvement with all aspects of the death penalty