Capital punishment in America
Cruel and unusual as applied : Furman v. Georgia (1972)
Not inherently unconstitutional : Gregg v. Georgia (1976)
Mandatory death penalty : Woodson v. North Carolina (1976)
Mitigating evidence : Lockett v. Ohio (1978) and Jurek v. Texas (1976)
Racial bias : McCleskey v. Kemp (1987)
Rape and other nonhomicide crimes : Coker v. Georgia (1977)
Murder : Godfrey v. Georgia (1980)
Felony-murder : Enmund v. Florida (1982) and Tison v. Arizona (1987)
The mentally retarded and juveniles : Atkins v. Virginia (2002) and Roper v. Simmons (2005)
Child rape : Kennedy v. Louisiana (2008)
Appropriate decisionmakers : Spaziano v. Florida (1984) and Ring v. Arizona (2002)
Selecting jurors : Witherspoon v. Illinois (1968), Turner v. Murray (1986), and Uttecht v. Brown (2007)
Victim impact evidence : Payne v. Tennessee (1991)
The sentencing decision : McKoy v. North Carolina (1990) and Kansas v. Marsh (2006)
Ineffective counsel : Strickland v. Washington (1984) and Williams v. Taylor (2000)
Claims of innocence : Herrera v. Collins (1993) and Kansas v. Marsh (2006)
Insane convicts may not be executed : Ford v. Wainwright (1986) and Panetti v. Quarterman (2007)
Method of execution : Baze v. Rees (2008)
Appendix A : Facts and figures on murder and the death penalty
Appendix B : Understanding statutory provisions
Capital punishment: the law and the issures
Cruel and unusual as applied: Furman v. Georgia (1972)
Not inherently unconstitutional: Gregg v. Georgia (1976)
Rape and the death penalty: Coker v. Georgia (1977)
Mandatory death penalty: Woodson v. North Carolina (1976)
"Mandatory" death statutes: Blystone v. Pennsylvania (1990)
Vague aggravating factors: Godfrey v. Georgia (1980)
Mitigating evidence: Lockett v. Ohio (1978)
Jury unanimity on mitigating evidence: McKoy v. North Carolina (1990)
Murder defendants who did not kill (I): Enmund v. Florida (1982)
Murder defendants who did not kill (II): Tison v. Arizona (1987)
Jurors opposed to capital punishment: witherspoon v. Illinois (1968)
Selecting the "death-qualified" jury: Lockhart v. McCree (1986)
Selecting an unbiased jury: Turner v. Murray (1986)
Right to effective counsel: Burger v. Kemp (1987)
Victim impact evidence: Payne v. Tennessee (1991)
Capital sentencing by judges: Spaziano v. Florida (1984)
Proportional sentencing review: Pulley v. Harris (1984)
Death sentences and double jeopardy: Arizona v. Rumsey (1984)
Juveniles may be executed: Stanford v. Kentucky (1989)
Insane convicts may not be executed: Ford v. Wainwright (1986)
Execution of the mentally retarded: Penry v. Lynaugh (1989)
Race discrimination and capital punishment: McCleskey v. Kemp (1987).
