Roberts v. Florida

Mar 7, 1988
No. 87-5971; No. 87-5984; No. 87-6223; No. 87-6236; No. 87-6266
Reporters:
Before:
Brennan

Lead Opinion

Sup. Ct. Fla.; Gen. Ct. Justice, Super. ‍‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‍Ct. Div., Mecklenburg County, N. C.; Sup. Ct. Fla.; Sup. Ct. Ga.; and Sup. ‍‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‍Ct. Ga. Certiorari denied.





Dissenting Opinion

Justice Brennan

and Justice Marshall, dissenting.

Adhering to our views that the ‍‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‍death penalty is in all circumstances cruel and unusual punishment prohibited by the Eighth ‍‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‍and Fourteenth Amendments, Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U. S. 153, 227, 231 (1976), we would grant certiorari and ‍‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‍vacate the death sentences in these cases.