JUS 103 supreme court impact

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Southern New Hampshire University *

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103

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Law

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Feb 20, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by desireephillips87

JUS 103 4-2 Impact of Supreme Court Cases Southern New Hampshire University Desiree Phillips 02/01/2024 The Supreme Court has great impact on the cases that come before their courts and lays the foundation for courses by the lower level courts. The case of Roper v. Simmons is a perfect example. This case was presented to the Supreme Court in 2004 and was settled and decided in 2005. The reason that I have chosen to use this case is because it is case that I found very intriguing as Simmons was a minor when the crime took place and was sentenced to death as his crime. This case is a significant example and set the foundation for all minors that despite their maturity level or the crime that they have committed, as a minor they are not legally able to be sentenced to death as punishment. Because of the case against Simmons, the Supreme Court removed a total of twenty-seven juveniles from death row (Seiter, 2017). The case against Simmons was heard by two lower level courts before finally being brought in front of the Supreme Courts for the final ruling. At the age of seventeen years old, Christopher Simmons talked with his friends, 15 year old Charlie Benjamin and 16 year old John Tessmer about committing burglary and murder with the beliefs that because they were all minors that they would not get in serious trouble for committing these offenses. On the night of September 8, 1993, Simmons and his friend Benjamin broke into the home of Shirley Cook where she was awakened by the two. The two teens placed duct tape over Cook’s eyes, hands, and mouth before tossing her into her minivan that they used in taking her to a nearby park where the boys then threw Cook over the railroad trestle where she died by drowning. The jury recommended that Simmons be sentenced to death row for punishment after finding him guilty of the crime in 1997. Simmons filed an appeal against his original sentencing in 2001 in which was denied as the United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit vs Simmons due to they found there were no unreasonable determination in the facts that was led to his sentencing. Roper vs. Simmons granted a change reducing the original sentencing from the death penalty down to a “life imprisonment without eligibility for probation, parole, or release except by act of the Governor.” The eighth and the fourteenth amendment prohibits a juvenile from facing the death penalty for their crimes and the courts upheld Simmons’ rights pertaining to these specific amendments (Seiter, 2017). The brain in an individual is not as developed as an adult therefor causing a juvenile to be of a lesser maturity than that of an adult and using capitol punishment in a juvenile case is a violation of the constitutional rights of the juvenile.

In this specific case, the Supreme Court had significant impact on ensuring that not only the rights of Simmons was not violated but also ensures that juveniles in future cases and ensuring that death row and capitol punishment are “taken off the table” moving forward. Because of Simmons fighting the original sentence of death row and his case being brought to the Supreme court, the courts have modified the original sentencing of death row for 72 minors that were awaiting execution and changed their new sentencing to a life sentence behind bars. Even though capitol punishment/execution is not a sentencing offered to minors, they are still not being released to the streets to reoffend and our being held accountable for their actions without having their rights violated. Due to the Supreme courts changes and upholding the rights of these minors, they are losing their life without actually losing their life. They can no longer face execution but they are still never getting a chance at being back out into society and living the life outside of incarceration. References: Roper v. Simmons - Wikipedia Roper v. Simmons :: 543 U.S. 551 (2005) :: Justia US Supreme Court Center Amnesty International USA: Decision in Roper vs. Simmons Removes US from List of Nations that Execute Juvenile Offenders. (2005, March 1). The America’s Intelligence Wire . Gilfoyle, N. (n.d.). Summary of APA’s Amicus Brief Participation in the Recent Supreme Court Decision Roper vs Simmons. Division of Psychologists in Public Service Newsletter , 29 (4), 18. https://doi- org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1037/e553602012-002

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