Robinson Vs California

The Robinson v. California trial involving narcotics stems from Robinsons original arrest in 1960. This case involving Lawrence Robinson started with him first being approached by an officer that noticed scarring and discoloration that appeared to be from multiple needle markings. When questioned, Robinson did state he injected narcotics occasionally. After being examined, Robinson was taken to jail. A second officer examined Robinson and stated: "the marks and discoloration were a result of injecting hypodermic needles into the tissue of the vein and was not sterile”. Also, it was said that Robinson was not intoxicated by use of narcotics and he was not undergoing any withdrawal symptoms. During the first trial Robinson said he never admitted to using narcotics nor ever addicted to them. He then attributes the scarring and discoloration due to an allergic reaction he obtained while in the military service. At the time California considered the use of narcotics or the addiction to narcotics as a misdemeanor (§ 11721). …show more content…
Robinson then proceeds to appeal the case to the Los Angeles Superior Court which upheld the sentence given. After a lot of controversy it was decided that the rulings be reversed because Robinsons 4th and 18th amendments rights were violated. It was argued that his punishment was cruel and unusual. This was an ongoing case for over a year, with a lot of controversy regarding protection rights of the 8th and 14th amendment. Finally on June 25th 1962 the Supreme Court came to a final decision, at this point Robinson had already been dead for ten months. The case is considered mooted, which means it will have no effect on the