Gregg V. Georgia Case Study

The case of Gregg v. Georgia starts with a man named Troy Gregg. Troy was imprisoned by the state of Georgia after he was found guilty of armed robbery and murdering two people in 1973. Following Gregg’s trial, the jury found Tory Gregg guilty and sentenced him to death. Troy challenged his remaining death sentence for murder, asked for an appeal, and claimed that his capital sentence was cruel and unusual punishment, in violation of the 8th amendment. The Georgia state court ruled that the death penalty was for murder. The case of Gregg v. Georgia was appealed to the Supreme Court. “With a 7 to 2 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty did not violate the 8th and 14th amendment under all circumstances” (Gregg v. Georgia ,2015). …show more content…
Simmons. The case of Roper v. Simmons began in 1993, when a minor named Christopher Simmons, who purposed to commit burglary and murder by breaking and entering. Christopher entered the home of a female victim named Shirley Cook. Christopher robbed and murdered the female victim. Christopher was imprisoned by the state of Missouri after he was found guilty of armed robbery and murder in 1993. He was sentenced to death in 1993, when he was only 17. Christopher challenged his remaining death sentence for murder, asked for an appeal, and claimed that the execution of minors violates the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment found in the 8th and 14th amendment. The Missouri state court ruled the death penalty for murder. A series of appeals followed the case to the state and federal courts that lasted until 2002, when the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the execution of the mentally ill and minors violated the 8th and 14th amendment. With the 5 to 4 vote, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Simmons and set aside Simmons’ death sentence in favor of life in prison without eligibility for release. The Supreme Court ruled that the execution of minors is cruel and punishment prohibited by the 8th …show more content…
Simmons, I disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of Simmons. I believe that Simmons deserves the death penalty, there was no reason in Simmons’ claims and agreement about how the execution of minors violate the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. Yet, the defendant premeditated the crime and did not consider the victims’ life. The defendant enters into the victim’s home, robbed the victim, then tied up the victim and threw the victim off a bridge. In addition, the defendant stated that he assured that he would get away with the crime because he was minor. I found that this decision of the Supreme Court to very hypocritical because in the Stanford v. Kentucky case, the Supreme Court ruled that Stanford should be sent to the death penalty and did not have a problem executing a minor which violates the 8th and 14th amendment. The Supreme Court should have just sentences the defendant to the death