Thompson v. Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Thompson v. Oklahoma, 487 U.S. 815
(1988), was the first case since the moratorium on capital punishment
was lifted in the United States
in which the U.S. Supreme Court
overturned the death sentence of a minor on grounds of "cruel and unusual punishment."
William W. Thompson, a 15-year-old at the time of his crime, was tried as an adult for murder, found guilty, and sentenced to death in an Oklahoma
trial court. The Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma upheld the decision.
On appeal, the Supreme Court held in a 5-3 decision that Thompson's execution would violate the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
as applied to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment
. The Court noted the "evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society" as a primary concern. Numerous U.S. jurisdictions and all industrialized Western nations had banned the execution of minors under 16 years of age. Justice Antonin Scalia
wrote for the dissent, and Anthony Kennedy
took no part in the decision.
from Grady County, Oklahoma
. His sister Vicki was married to Charles Keene, who was routinely accused of beating Vicki and William. William and three other men- Tony Mann, Richard Jones and Bobby Glass- then kidnapped Charles on the night of January 23, 1983 in Amber, Oklahoma
. Charles attempted to escape, running to neighbor John "Possum" Brown's door. He reportedly knocked on the door and screamed, "Possum, open the ----ed door, they're going to kill me". Brown opened the door only to see four men dragging Keene from the door and beating on him. When Brown called the police, the assailants grabbed Keene and fled.
Keene's body was found later in the nearby river, his body split throat to abdomen. He had multiple bruises and two gunshot wounds, along with a concrete block tied to his legs. William was arrested later, after Vicki confessed to the police that William said that "he had taken care of him". All three other men were convicted of their crimes and sentenced to death, although Bobby Glass later had his sentence repealed. Thompson was arrested and then went through a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he was eligible to stand trial as an adult. He was found responsible for his deeds and then convicted by the District Court of Grady County in Chickasha, Oklahoma
. He was sentenced to death by the jury.
Then, due to his quickly approaching execution, his attorneys filed his case with the Supreme Court, saying that the execution of a juvenile was unconstitutional under the Eight Amendment's "Cruel and Unusual Punishment" clause. The Court deliberated and made its decision June 29, 1988. They voted 5-3 in favor of Thompson, with Justice Anthony Kennedy not taking part in the case. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the majority opinion and Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the minority opinion.
Case citation
Case citation is the system used in many countries to identify the decisions in past court cases, either in special series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a 'neutral' form which will identify a decision wherever it was reported...
(1988), was the first case since the moratorium on capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
was lifted in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in which the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
overturned the death sentence of a minor on grounds of "cruel and unusual punishment."
William W. Thompson, a 15-year-old at the time of his crime, was tried as an adult for murder, found guilty, and sentenced to death in an Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
trial court. The Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma upheld the decision.
On appeal, the Supreme Court held in a 5-3 decision that Thompson's execution would violate the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights which prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines or cruel and unusual punishments. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that this amendment's Cruel and Unusual...
as applied to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Dred Scott v...
. The Court noted the "evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society" as a primary concern. Numerous U.S. jurisdictions and all industrialized Western nations had banned the execution of minors under 16 years of age. Justice Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Gregory Scalia is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. As the longest-serving justice on the Court, Scalia is the Senior Associate Justice...
wrote for the dissent, and Anthony Kennedy
Anthony Kennedy
Anthony McLeod Kennedy is an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, having been appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. Since the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor, Kennedy has often been the swing vote on many of the Court's politically charged 5–4 decisions...
took no part in the decision.
Background
William Wayne Thompson was a 15-year-old repeat offenderRecidivism
Recidivism is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have either experienced negative consequences of that behavior, or have been treated or trained to extinguish that behavior...
from Grady County, Oklahoma
Grady County, Oklahoma
Grady County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2006, the population was 50,490. Its county seat is Chickasha.Grady County is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. His sister Vicki was married to Charles Keene, who was routinely accused of beating Vicki and William. William and three other men- Tony Mann, Richard Jones and Bobby Glass- then kidnapped Charles on the night of January 23, 1983 in Amber, Oklahoma
Amber, Oklahoma
Amber is a town in Grady County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 490 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Amber is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
. Charles attempted to escape, running to neighbor John "Possum" Brown's door. He reportedly knocked on the door and screamed, "Possum, open the ----ed door, they're going to kill me". Brown opened the door only to see four men dragging Keene from the door and beating on him. When Brown called the police, the assailants grabbed Keene and fled.
Keene's body was found later in the nearby river, his body split throat to abdomen. He had multiple bruises and two gunshot wounds, along with a concrete block tied to his legs. William was arrested later, after Vicki confessed to the police that William said that "he had taken care of him". All three other men were convicted of their crimes and sentenced to death, although Bobby Glass later had his sentence repealed. Thompson was arrested and then went through a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he was eligible to stand trial as an adult. He was found responsible for his deeds and then convicted by the District Court of Grady County in Chickasha, Oklahoma
Chickasha, Oklahoma
Chickasha is a city in and the county seat, business and employment center of Grady County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 15,850 at the 2000 census. Chickasha is home to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and hosts an annual Festival of Light celebration located at...
. He was sentenced to death by the jury.
Appeals
Thompson's attorneys first attempted to appeal the case on the fact that inflammatory photographs were used by the prosecution to provoke the jury. Although the court did find that two of the photographs should have been excluded from the trial, the overwhelming evidence meant that the case was affirmed by the court.Then, due to his quickly approaching execution, his attorneys filed his case with the Supreme Court, saying that the execution of a juvenile was unconstitutional under the Eight Amendment's "Cruel and Unusual Punishment" clause. The Court deliberated and made its decision June 29, 1988. They voted 5-3 in favor of Thompson, with Justice Anthony Kennedy not taking part in the case. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the majority opinion and Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the minority opinion.
See also
- Stanford v. KentuckyStanford v. KentuckyStanford v. Kentucky, , was a United States Supreme Court case that sanctioned the imposition of the death penalty on offenders who were at least 16 years of age at the time of the crime. This decision came one year after Thompson v...
- Roper v. SimmonsRoper v. SimmonsRoper v. Simmons, was a decision in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that it is unconstitutional to impose capital punishment for crimes committed while under the age of 18. The 5-4 decision overruled the Court's prior ruling upholding such sentences on offenders above or at the...
- Atkins v. VirginiaAtkins v. VirginiaAtkins v. Virginia, , is a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled 6-3 that executing the mentally retarded violates the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishments.-The case:...
- List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 487
- List of United States Supreme Court cases
- Lists of United States Supreme Court cases by volume
- List of United States Supreme Court cases by the Rehnquist Court
External links
487 U.S. 815 Full text of the opinion courtesy of Findlaw.com.- http://law.jrank.org/pages/23580/Thompson-v-Oklahoma-Question-Age.html Jrank.org, background information on case, including date of initial offense.
- http://www.oyez.org/cases/1980-1989/1987/1987_86_6169 The Oyez Project, voting on the case and full opinion.