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381:, Justice Marshall noted his opposition of the death penalty on its face, and deemed it a form of cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. Justice Marshall notes that "when a death sentence is imposed under the circumstances presented here, I fail to understand how any of my Brethren -- even those who believe that the death penalty is not wholly inconsistent with the Constitution -- can disagree that it must be vacated."
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An Ohio law required that the death penalty was mandatory for felons convicted of aggravated murder unless the victim had induced the offense, the offense was committed under duress or coercion, or the offense was a product of mental deficiencies. Sandra
Lockett, the driver of the getaway car for a
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wrote the opinion for the majority. The Court held that the Eighth and
Fourteenth Amendments required, in all but the rarest cases, that sentencers consider all mitigating factors surrounding the accused murderer before coming to the decision of applying the death penalty. These mitigating factors
368:
Justice
Blackmun agreed with the majority of the opinion written by the Chief Justice, however, he "would do so for a reason more limited than that which the plurality espouses, and for an additional reason not relied upon by the plurality."
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concluded that "the limited range of mitigating circumstances that may be considered by the sentencer under the Ohio death penalty statute is incompatible with the Eighth and
Fourteenth Amendments." The Court cited
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129:
The Ohio statute violated the Eighth and
Fourteenth Amendments in failing to require consideration of all mitigating factors surrounding the accused murderer before coming to the decision to apply the death
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case in which the Court held that sentencing authorities must have the discretion to consider at least some mitigating factors, rather than being limited to a specific list of factors.
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include, "a defendant's character or record and any circumstances of the offense proffered as a reason for a sentence less than death."
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robbery that resulted in the murder of a pawnshop owner, was found guilty under the Ohio statute and sentenced to death.
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Burger (parts I and II), joined by
Stewart, White, Blackmun, Powell, Rehnquist, Stevens
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Brennan took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.
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Cruel and
Unusual Punishment Clause and death penalty case law
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United States Fifth
Amendment self-incrimination case law
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for felons convicted of aggravated murder violate the
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United States
Supreme Court cases of the Burger Court
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List of United States
Supreme Court cases, volume 438
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Burger (part III), joined by Stewart, Powell, Stevens
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440:. The Oyez Project: Chicago-Kent College of Law
522:, 438 U.S. at 620 (Marshall, J., concurring).
510:, 438 U.S. at 613 (Blackmun, J., concurring).
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319:Amendments by limiting the consideration of
640:United States Sixth Amendment jury case law
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331:With a 7-1 decision in favor of Lockett,
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377:In a separate special concurrence from
18:1978 United States Supreme Court case
7:
307:Does the Ohio statute requiring the
230:Blackmun (in part and in judgment)
36:Supreme Court of the United States
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620:United States Supreme Court cases
547:586 (1978) is available from:
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615:1978 in United States case law
373:Justice Marshall's concurrence
364:Justice Blackmun's concurrence
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286:, 438 U.S. 586 (1978), is a
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288:United States Supreme Court
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645:Capital punishment in Ohio
597:Oyez (oral argument audio)
303:Question before the Court
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103:, 49 Ohio St. 2d 48, 358
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270:U.S. Const. amends. VIII
43:Argued January 17, 1978
461:, 438 U.S. at 597-609.
438:- 438 U.S. 586 (1978)"
238:Marshall (in judgment)
154:William J. Brennan Jr.
327:Opinion of the Court
45:Decided July 3, 1978
588:Library of Congress
186:Lewis F. Powell Jr.
78:98 S. Ct. 2954; 57
498:, 438 U.S. at 606.
321:mitigating factors
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342:Justice Stewart
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283:Lockett v. Ohio
198:John P. Stevens
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119:889 (1977).
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444:October 11,
235:Concurrence
227:Concurrence
166:Byron White
111:. granted,
609:Categories
397:References
317:Fourteenth
294:Background
84:U.S. LEXIS
82:973; 1978
254:Rehnquist
219:Plurality
80:L. Ed. 2d
60:Citations
535:Text of
484:153, 206
385:See also
359:Lockett.
211:Majority
130:penalty.
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124:Holding
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481:U.S.
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348:and
315:and
117:U.S.
109:cert
73:more
65:U.S.
63:438
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421:586
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274:XIV
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70:(
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