Thursday, November 7, 2013

McCleskey v. Kemp case brief

McCleskey v. Kemp case brief summary
481 U.S. 279 (1987)


CASE SYNOPSIS
Petitioner challenged a decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit that denied his petition for writ of habeas corpus. Petitioner alleged his capital sentence was unconstitutional based on a complex statistical study that indicated a risk that racial considerations entered into capital sentencing determinations.

CASE FACTS
Petitioner was convicted of two counts of armed robbery and one count of murder. At the penalty hearing, the jury imposed the death penalty because petitioner did not provide any mitigating circumstances. The state supreme court affirmed the trial court's decision and denied a petition for writ of certiorari. Petitioner then filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in federal court in which he alleged the state's capital sentencing process was administered in a racially discriminatory manner in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. Petitioner based his claims on a study that indicated a risk that racial consideration entered into capital sentencing determinations. The appellate court affirmed the lower court's decision and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.

DISCUSSION
The Court held that the statistical study did not present substantial evidence that would require a reversal of petitioner's conviction. The Court concluded that the lower court had properly applied Georgia law.

CONCLUSION

The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the appellate court that denied petitioner's application for a writ of habeas corpus.

No comments:

Post a Comment

The Evolution of Legal Marketing: From Billboards to Digital Leads

https://www.pexels.com/photo/coworkers-talking-outside-4427818/ Over the last couple of decades, the face of legal marketing has changed a l...