Supreme Court Rules Against Death Penalty in Cases of Child Rape

A recent ruling by the Supreme Court further defined the standards of capital punishment in America. Citing the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, the Court ruled in Kennedy v. Louisiana that individuals found guilty of child rape may not receive the death penalty. Patrick Kennedy was found guilty of raping his 8-year-old stepdaughter in 2003 and sentenced to death under a Louisiana statue allowing capital punishment for the rape of a child.

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