Baze v. Rees
E649389
Baze v. Rees is a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of a three-drug lethal injection protocol under the Eighth Amendment.
Statements (52)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Eighth Amendment case
ⓘ
United States Supreme Court case ⓘ capital punishment case ⓘ |
| areaOfLaw |
constitutional law
ⓘ
criminal law ⓘ death penalty jurisprudence ⓘ |
| arguedDate | 2008-01-07 ⓘ |
| chiefJusticeAtDecision | John G. Roberts Jr. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| citation | 553 U.S. 35 ⓘ |
| concurrenceBy |
Antonin Scalia
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Clarence Thomas NERFINISHED ⓘ John Paul Stevens NERFINISHED ⓘ Stephen G. Breyer NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| concurrenceInJudgmentBy |
David H. Souter
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Ruth Bader Ginsburg NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| constitutionalProvisionInterpreted | Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| court | Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ |
| decisionDate | 2008-04-16 ⓘ |
| decisionType | plurality decision ⓘ |
| dissentBy |
David H. Souter
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Ruth Bader Ginsburg NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| firstDrugInProtocol | sodium thiopental ⓘ |
| fullName | Baze v. Rees NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| holding |
Kentucky’s three-drug lethal injection protocol does not violate the Eighth Amendment
ⓘ
a method of execution is unconstitutional only if it presents a substantial risk of serious harm compared to known and available alternatives ⓘ |
| impact | clarified standards for Eighth Amendment method-of-execution challenges ⓘ |
| jurisdiction | Commonwealth of Kentucky NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| legalIssue |
constitutionality of lethal injection under the Eighth Amendment
ⓘ
whether Kentucky’s three-drug lethal injection protocol constitutes cruel and unusual punishment ⓘ |
| majorityOpinionBy | John G. Roberts Jr. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| methodOfExecutionChallenged | three-drug lethal injection protocol ⓘ |
| petitioner |
Ralph Baze
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Thomas C. Bowling NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| pluralityJoinedBy |
Anthony M. Kennedy
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
John G. Roberts Jr. NERFINISHED ⓘ Samuel A. Alito Jr. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| pluralityOpinion | yes ⓘ |
| precedentFor | Glossip v. Gross NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedDoctrine | cruel and unusual punishment ⓘ |
| reporter | United States Reports ⓘ |
| requiresShowing | availability of a feasible, readily implemented alternative method that significantly reduces a substantial risk of severe pain ⓘ |
| respondent |
John D. Rees
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Kentucky Department of Corrections officials NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| secondDrugInProtocol | pancuronium bromide ⓘ |
| standardAnnounced | substantial risk of serious harm standard for method-of-execution challenges ⓘ |
| startingPageInUSReports | 35 ⓘ |
| stateOfOrigin | Kentucky NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| term | October Term 2007 ⓘ |
| thirdDrugInProtocol | potassium chloride ⓘ |
| volumeInUSReports | 553 ⓘ |
| vote | 7-2 ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.