WP: High Court Asked to End Executions Of Juveniles

[kskiska]

Tuesday, July 20, 2004; Page A01

A broad array of individuals and groups ranging from Jimmy Carter to Mikhail Gorbachev and the American Medical Association to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urged the Supreme Court yesterday to declare that it is unconstitutional to execute people for crimes they committed before turning 18.

The United States is one of five countries that execute juvenile offenders, a practice that shocks European allies and violates "minimum standards of decency shared by virtually every nation in the world," nine eminent former U.S. diplomats told the court in one of 15 briefs filed yesterday. Virginia is one of seven states that execute juvenile offenders.

In 2002 the court, invoking the concept of "evolving standards of decency," abolished capital punishment for mentally retarded offenders. The briefs filed yesterday are part of a campaign by death-penalty opponents to persuade the court to apply similar reasoning in regard to juveniles.

(snip)

Four justices -- Stephen G. Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David H. Souter and John Paul Stevens -- have said that imposing the death penalty for offenses by 16- and 17-year-olds is "inconsistent with evolving standards of decency in a civilized society." But thus far, they have not attracted the fifth vote they need to overturn the practice, which is increasingly rare.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61418-2004Jul19.html

[leesa]

1. What a backwards and brutal nation we are!

[VolcanoJen]

2. Dupe... locking

Please continue discussion within the original LBN thread on this topic, which can be found here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=694876&mesg_id=694876

Thanks!

VolcanoJen
LBN Moderator

p.s. kskiska, your link to the Washington Post article would be very helpful within the original thread. :-)