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Article: SUPREME COURT DEATH PENALTY LIMITED INSANE CAN'T BE EXECUTED.(Main)
- Article from:
- Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)
- Article date:
- June 27, 1986
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1986 Albany Times Union. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Aaron Epstein
The Supreme Court, intervening in the case of a Florida Death Row inmate said to have lost touch with reality, ruled Thursday for the first time that it is unconstitutionally cruel to execute an insane killer. The vote was 5-4.
The Constitution protects "the dignity of society ... from the barbarity of mindless vengeance," Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote for the court majority.
To enforce its ruling, the justices also declared that defense lawyers are entitled to a hearing - and the right to cross-examine state psychiatrists and present evidence of their own - to determine whether an inmate's claims of insanity are valid. ...