WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has struck down a Louisiana law that allows the execution of people convicted of a raping a child.

 

In a 5-4 vote, the court says the law allowing the death penalty to be imposed in cases of child rape violates the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

 

"The death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in his majority opinion. His four liberal colleagues joined him, while the four more conservative justices dissented.

 

There has not been an execution in the United States for a crime that did not also involve the death of the victim in 44 years.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080625/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_rdp

As much as sex crimes are fabricated, this is a good decision.

I don't think that they should receive the death penalty.

 

However with that being said, they should be placed in jail for quite some time without any protection. I have watched enough prision shows on television to say that even though many criminals have done terrible crimes, it seems the one thing criminals hate most are other criminals who hurt (rape) children. I believe they would handle the justice within the walls.

As much as sex crimes are fabricated, this is a good decision.

 

 

Agree.

Put em' in the general population of a maximum security prison and let every other prisoner know what they did to a young child. That should be a fair punishment.

What's up with Anthony Kennedy? Is he in the process of morphing into another David Souter. If I recall, in his first year on the High Court, Souter voted with Scalia about 85% of the time and about 97% of the time he voted alike with O'Connor and Kennedy. Souter is now considered a liberal stalwart on the court. Is Kennedy beginning to tilt left?

As much as sex crimes are fabricated, this is a good decision.

 

It's not often that I side with the Ginsburg and Breyer and against Scalia and Roberts but this is one of those cases.

It's not often that I side with the Ginsburg and Breyer and against Scalia and Roberts but this is one of those cases.

 

 

I thought I heard today that Barack Obama expressed disagreement with this ruling. I was half asleep, so maybe I heard wrong.

Put em' in the general population of a maximum security prison and let every other prisoner know what they did to a young child. That should be a fair punishment.

 

Justice would be served!!

Put em' in the general population of a maximum security prison and let every other prisoner know what they did to a young child. That should be a fair punishment.

 

 

Wonder what the deal is with hard-core cons and the hater attitude towards child predators? These are people that have done their best to destroy the lives of kids by taking the moms, dads, brothers and sisters from children, not to mention, choosing a life of crime instead of raising their own kids.

Wonder what the deal is with hard-core cons and the hater attitude towards child predators? These are people that have done their best to destroy the lives of kids by taking the moms, dads, brothers and sisters from children, not to mention, choosing a life of crime instead of raising their own kids.

 

Not sure, but from what I've heard they don't like child molesters in prison.

Not sure, but from what I've heard they don't like child molesters in prison.

 

I have always heard that as well.

There are a lot of different movies out there that always discuss that their only rule is..."no women, no children". Maybe it is just an unwritten rule that you can never hurt someone who really has no chance to defend theirselves, or something like that.

 

I am just glad HB20 wrote the same thing as me, and others agree. I was a little worried that people would be a little unhappy with my feelings about it all.

Interesting to listen to the conservative talk-radio folks rail against this decision yesterday. Both Limbaugh and Savage were basically saying "Who is the Supreme Court to rule against states and their laws? What do they think they're doing?"

^I hate when people are quick to make comments like that and not realize what they are really saying (At least I hope that's the case).