Question 1

Professor Baldus and his colleagues report that under Georgia's post-Furman statute black defendants whose victims were white were advanced to a capital sentencing hearing by Georgia prosecutors at a rate nearly five times that of black defendants whose victims were black, and more than three times the rate of white defendants whose victims were black.

Accepted Answer

This is a factual statement based on the research conducted by Professor Baldus and his colleagues.

Question 2

Through the death qualification process and peremptory challenge, many blacks are eliminated from serving on capital juries.

Accepted Answer

During the death qualification process, potential jurors are questioned about their beliefs on the death penalty, and those who are opposed or have reservations about it may be disqualified. This process disproportionately eliminates blacks from serving on capital juries as they are more likely to hold beliefs and life experiences that make them hesitant about the death penalty. Additionally, peremptory challenges allow attorneys to remove potential jurors without having to give a reason, and this has been shown to be used more often against black jurors in capital cases.

Question 3

In the words of Georgia state senator Gary Parker, "The classic death penalty case in Georgia remains a black person prosecuted by a white district attorney before a white judge and an all-white jury for a crime against a prominent white person."

Accepted Answer

This statement made by Georgia state senator Gary Parker is true. Historically, there has been significant racial bias in death penalty cases in Georgia, with black defendants being disproportionately sentenced to death and often facing all-white juries and judges.

Question 4

Justice Lewis Powell who wrote the majority opinion in McCleskey and cast the deciding vote told his biographer that he wished he could change his vote in the McCleskey case.

Accepted Answer

Justice Powell expressed regret about his decision in the McCleskey case and stated that he wished he could have changed his vote.

Question 5

According to the author of your textbook, an unacceptable form of discrimination is created by the way "aggravated murder" is defined.

Accepted Answer

The author of the textbook argues that the way "aggravated murder" is defined creates an unacceptable form of discrimination.

Question 6

The Supreme Court's decision in Roper v. Simmons (2005) ended age discrimination in the application of the death penalty.

Accepted Answer

Roper v. Simmons (2005) specifically held that it is unconstitutional to impose capital punishment for crimes committed while under the age of 18, but it did not address age discrimination broadly in the application of the death penalty.

Question 7

Research from Ohio shows that death-eligible offenders who were over 25 years old were more than ten times as likely to be sentenced to death than were death-eligible offenders who were 25 years old or younger.

Accepted Answer

Research from Ohio shows that death-eligible offenders who were 25 years old or younger were more than twice as likely to be sentenced to death than were death-eligible offenders who were over 25 years old.

Question 8

Poor people are executed more often than rich people in the United States.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that the wealthier a defendant is, the less likely they are to receive the death penalty, and the opposite is true for defendants who are poor. Race also plays a significant role in the likelihood of receiving the death penalty in the United States.

Quiz 10: Arbitrariness and Discrimination in the Administration of the Death Penalty