Vanderbilt v. Texas

Mar 29, 1982
No. 81-6158; No. 81-6172
Reporters:
,
Before:
Brennan

Lead Opinion

Ct. Crim. App. Tex.; and

Sup. Ct. ‍‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‍Fla. Certiorari denied. Reported below: No. 81-6158, 629 S. W. 2d 709; No. 81-6172, 407 So. ‍‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‍2d 198.





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.