Question 1

In ____ the Court ruled that the execution of someone who is intellectually disabled is cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment.

Accepted Answer

In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled in Atkins v. Virginia that executing individuals with intellectual disabilities violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

Question 2

In _____ the Supreme Court banned the execution of those who were under age 18 at the time of their crime.

Accepted Answer

In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled in Roper v. Simmons that executing individuals who were under 18 at the time of their crime is unconstitutional.

Question 3

The __________ prohibits the destruction of DNA evidence in federal criminal cases while a defendant remains incarcerated.

Accepted Answer

C

Question 4

__________ banned executing those with intellectual disabilities.

Accepted Answer

Atkins v. Virginia (2002) ruled that executing individuals with intellectual disabilities violates the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Question 5

Although the exoneration of death row inmates and subsequent decisions to impose a moratorium on executions has led to a decline in support, ___ percent of Americans still reported in October 2014 that they favored the death penalty for people convicted of murder.

Accepted Answer

In October 2014, 63 percent of Americans reported that they favored the death penalty for people convicted of murder, despite a decline in support due to exonerations and moratoriums.

Question 6

The death penalty may be used for an offender convicted of felony murder if the person:

Accepted Answer

The answer of The death penalty may be used for...

Question 7

__________ affirmed the use of guided discretion in death penalty statutes.

Accepted Answer

In Gregg v. Georgia (1976), the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of guided discretion in death penalty statutes, which allowed the jury to consider both aggravating and mitigating factors in making their sentencing decision. This decision paved the way for the use of guided discretion in many other death penalty cases. The other cases listed (McCleskey v. Kemp, Tison v. Arizona, and Roberts v. Louisiana) dealt with other aspects of death penalty law, but did not specifically address guided discretion.

Question 8

In Gregg v. Georgia , the Court noted that public opinion and ___________ were in favor of the death penalty.

Accepted Answer

The Court in Gregg v. Georgia noted that both public opinion and state legislators were in favor of the death penalty, indicating legislative support for capital punishment.

Question 9

The collective cases of the Martinsville Seven are especially noteworthy because they were the first cases in which the defendants:

Accepted Answer

The answer of The collective cases of the Martinsville Seven...

Question 10

The __________ provides funding to states to help defray the costs of post-conviction DNA testing.

Accepted Answer

The Innocence Protection Act provides funding to states to help defray the costs of post-conviction DNA testing. The other acts mentioned, Justice for All Act, Racial Justice Act, and Death Penalty Reform Act, do not specifically provide funding for DNA testing.

Question 11

Cruel and unusual punishments are prohibited by the __________ Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Accepted Answer

The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishments.

Question 12

The U.S. Supreme Court condemned "arbitrary and wanton jury discretion" in:

Accepted Answer

Furman v. Georgia (1972) was the landmark case in which the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty, as it was applied at the time, violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. The Court found that the use of arbitrary and wanton jury discretion in determining whether to impose the death penalty was unconstitutional.

Question 13

__________ directly addressed the issue of victim-based racial discrimination in the application of the death penalty.

Accepted Answer

McCleskey v. Kemp directly addressed the issue of victim-based racial discrimination in the application of the death penalty. In this case, the court rejected statistical evidence of racial disparities in death penalty cases, stating that individual intent and not statistical evidence should be the basis of proving discrimination.

Question 14

In 2003, the governor of __________ commuted the sentences of all of the state's death row inmates to life in prison because of his concerns about systemic error .

Accepted Answer

In 2003, Illinois Governor George Ryan commuted the sentences of all death row inmates to life in prison due to concerns about wrongful convictions and systemic errors in the state's capital punishment system.

Question 15

In 2005 the Court ruled that the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments forbid the imposition of the death penalty on offenders who were younger than ___ when their crimes were committed.

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court ruled in Roper v. Simmons (2005) that it is unconstitutional to impose the death penalty for crimes committed by individuals under the age of 18.

Question 16

As a result of __________, the death penalty statutes in 39 states were invalidated.

Accepted Answer

The Furman v. Georgia (1972) decision led to the invalidation of death penalty statutes in 39 states because the Supreme Court found that the death penalty, as administered, was arbitrary and capricious, violating the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.

Question 17

Researchers have raised questions about poll results concerning support for the death penalty, suggesting that such support is not absolute but depends on such things as the circumstances of the case, the character of the defendant, or:

Accepted Answer

The alternative punishments that are available could affect someone's support for the death penalty. For example, if there were more effective and humane alternatives, people may be less likely to support the death penalty. The other options (B, C, and D) are unrelated to support for the death penalty.

Question 18

In ____ the Supreme Court banned imposing the death penalty on a defendant convicted of rape.

Accepted Answer

In Coker v. Georgia (1977), the Supreme Court banned imposing the death penalty on a defendant convicted of rape.

Question 19

In ____ the Court took up the issue of lethal injection, ruling that Kentucky's 3-drug protocol for administering lethal injection did not amount to cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.

Accepted Answer

In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Baze v. Rees that Kentucky's three-drug protocol for lethal injection did not constitute cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.

Question 20

The U.S. House of Representatives responded to McCleskey v. Kemp by adding the __________ to the Omnibus Crime Bill of 1994.

Accepted Answer

McCleskey v. Kemp was a Supreme Court case that ruled out statistical evidence of racial bias in the application of the death penalty. The Racial Justice Act was added to the Omnibus Crime Bill of 1994 as a response to this decision. The act allowed defendants to challenge the death penalty on the basis of racial discrimination in sentencing decisions.

Quiz 8: The Color of Death Race and the Death Penalty