Roper v. Simmons

Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court.

Christopher Simmons was 17 years old when he committed a capital murder. He was sentenced to death. After Atkins v. Virginia, Simmons filed a new habeas petition, arguing that executing juvenile offenders violated the Eighth Amendment. The Missouri Supreme Court agreed, and the state appealed.

Significance

Justice Kennedy’s 5-4 opinion held that the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments forbid execution of offenders who were under 18 when their crimes were committed. The Court found a national consensus against juvenile executions and concluded that juveniles have diminished culpability and greater capacity for rehabilitation than adults. Overruling Stanford v. Kentucky (1989), the decision ended the practice of executing juvenile offenders in the United States and aligned American law with the international consensus against juvenile capital punishment.

Category

US Federal Case Law