“Capital punishment...treats members of the human race...as objects to be toyed with and discarded.” HumansRaceObjectsMembersTreatsPunishmentHuman RaceDiscardedCapital Punishment Author:William J. Brennan
“The Constitution was framed fundamentally as a bulwark against governmental power, and preventing the arbitrary administration of punishment is a basic ideal of any society that purports to be governed by the rule of law.” LawIdealsConstitutionPunishmentAdministrationArbitraryRule Of LawPreventingFramedMental Power Author:William J. Brennan
“With respect to the death penalty, I believe that a majority of the Supreme Court will one day accept that when the state punishes with death, it denies the humanity and dignity of the victim and transgresses the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. That day will be a great day for our country, for it will be a great day for our Constitution.” BelieveCountryStatesHumanityI BelieveAcceptingOne DayDignityConstitutionVictimMajorityCourtDenySupremePunishmentOur CountryUnusualPenaltiesSupreme CourtDeath PenaltyProhibitionGreat DayCruel And Unusual Punishment Author:William J. Brennan
“Death is not only an unusually severe punishment, unusual in its pain, in its finality and in its enormity, but is serves no penal purpose more effectively than a less severe punishment.” PainPurposePunishmentUnusualFierceSevereFinality Author:William J. Brennan
“One area of law more than any other besmirches the constitutional vision of human dignity. . . . The barbaric death penalty violates our Constitution. Even the most vile murderer does not release the state from its obligation to respect dignity, for the state does not honor the victim by< emulating his murderer. Capital punishment's fatal flaw is that it treats people as objects to be toyed with and discarded. . . . One day the Court will outlaw the death penalty. Permanently.” PeopleHumansDoeStatesLawVisionObjectsHonorOne DayAreasDignityTreatsConstitutionVictimCourtPunishmentObligationReleaseFlawsPenaltiesMurdererDeath PenaltyHuman DignityOutlawDiscardedCapital PunishmentBarbaricFatal Flaws Author:William J. Brennan
“The principle inherent in the clause that prohibits pointless infliction of excessive punishment when less severe punishment can adequately achieve the same purposes invalidates the punishment.” PurposePrinciplesAchievePunishmentInherentSeverePointlessClausesInfliction Author:William J. Brennan
