Features

Vaccines: Think Again

Sweden and France quit vaccines with no regrets

What percent of the world's population was vaccinated during the smallpox eradictioncampaign?

AIr Pollution Fatalities Now Exceed Traffic Fatalities

Arrest of Journalists Threatens Press Freedom

Bush and the 'Pathology of Normalcy'

California Creates Family Leave Program

Cotton: World's Most Toxic Crop

Polls Build Public Support for War

Hormone Replacement Therapy in question

Iraq for Dummies

The Struggle Against Neo-Colonialism

No New War Against Iraq

Peru: Bayer Responsible in Pesticide Deaths

Schools Implement Pesticide 'Right to Know' Act

September 11 Families Call for Peace

Starbucks vs Sambucks

Supreme Court limits death penalty

Sweatshop Fashion Statements Not Attractive

Tough Winter for Montana Buffalo

Universal Health Care Pursued by Initiative

Regulars

Reader Mail

Northwest & Beyond

Envirowatch

Good Ideas from Different Countries

Global Warming Update

Workplace Issues

Bob's Random Legal Advice

Supreme Court limits death penalty

The Supreme Court most recently determined that the death penaltyviolates the Eighth Amendment. In Ring v. Arizona, and Atkins v.Virginia, the Supreme Court placed new and significant limitations onthe death penalty. In Atkins, the Supreme Court decided that executinga retarded person violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on crueland unusual punishment.

The September 2002 issue of Prison Legal News reports that "In Atkins,the Court recognized that execution of the retarded was permitted atthe time our constitution was written, but held that it now violatedour 'evolving standards of decency.'" In the Ring decision the Courtdetermined that juries will now "determine the existence of any factorneeded for imposition of the death penalty." It has yet to be determined how many states other than Arizona will be affectedby the Ring decision.

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