Supreme Court Won't Toss Decision to Outlaw Executions for Child Rapists

[Chris_]

Supreme Court Won't Toss Decision to Outlaw Executions for Child Rapists

WASHINGTON —  The Supreme Court declined Wednesday to revisit its recent decision outlawing executions for people convicted of raping children.

The unusual request, from Louisiana and the Bush administration, was based on the failure of anyone involved in the case to take into account a federal law from 2006 that authorizes the death penalty for members of the military who are convicted of child rape.

The state argued that the case should be reopened because Justice Anthony Kennedy relied in part on what he called a "national consensus" against executing convicted rapists. The court split 5-4 in the June 25 ruling.

The justices, by a 7-2 vote, issued an amended opinion Wednesday that adds a footnote concerning military law, but otherwise leaves the essence of the decision untouched.

 

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Were it up to me, the DP would be mandatory for rapists regardless of the age of their victim(s).

[rich_t]

I feel the same way lug-nut

[DumbAss Tanker]

Then there are situations like this, from a story on CNN's website today:

Justice Stephen Goudge made public Wednesday his report on the work of Dr. Charles Smith, whose expert testimony led to an undetermined number of wrongful convictions.

Smith's testimony played a key role in the conviction of a man who spent 12 years in jail for sexually assaulting and strangling his 4-year-old niece. Evidence later surfaced that showed the girl died of natural causes, and William Mullins-Johnson was exonerated last year.

Rest of it here