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Solem Vs. Helm

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  • US Supreme Court
  • Jun 28, 1983

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68 entries 9 linked 59 unlinked
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  1. Coker Vs. Georgia US Supreme Court · Jun 29, 1977
  2. ingraham Vs. Wright US Supreme Court · Apr 19, 1977
  3. Gregg Vs. Georgia US Supreme Court · Jul 02, 1976
  4. Rummel Vs. Estelle US Supreme Court · Mar 18, 1980
  5. Furman Vs. Georgia US Supreme Court · Jun 29, 1972
  6. Barker Vs. Wingo US Supreme Court · Jun 22, 1972
  7. Morrissey Vs. Brewer US Supreme Court · Jun 29, 1972
  8. Hutto Vs. Finney US Supreme Court · Jun 23, 1978
  9. Trop Vs. Dulles US Supreme Court · Mar 31, 1958
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  10. U.S. 277 (1983) U.S. Supreme Court Solem v. Helm
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  11. U.S. 277 (1983) Solem v. Helm
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  12. almost a century. In several cases, the Court has applied the principle to invalidate criminal sentences. E.g., Weems v. United
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  13. unique to this area. The courts are constantly called upon to draw similar lines in a variety of contexts. Cf. Barker v. Wingo
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  14. Baldwin v. New
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  15. Moreover, even if respondent's sentence were commuted, he merely would be eligible to be considered for parole. Rummel v. Estelle
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  16. State v. Helm
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  17. Court, in a 3-2 decision, affirmed the sentence despite Helm's argument that it violated the Eighth Amendment. State v. Helm
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  18. the District Court recognized that the sentence was harsh, it concluded that this Court's recent decision in Rummel v. Estelle
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  19. States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed. 684 F.2d 582 (1982). The Court of Appeals noted that Rummel v. Estelle
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  20. hollow guarantees, for the royal courts relied on them to invalidate disproportionate punishments. See, e.g., Le Gras v. Bailiff
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  21. the normal criminal sanctions, the common law recognized that these, too, must be proportional. See, e.g., Hodges v. Humkin
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  22. In the Page 463 U. S. 287 leading case of Weems v. United
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  23. its shackles and restrictions. The Court next applied the principle to invalidate a criminal sentence in Robinson v. California
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  24. has applied the principle of proportionality to hold capital punishment excessive in certain circumstances. Enmund v. Florida
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  25. disproportionate punishments, even when it has not been necessary to rely on the proscription. See, e.g., Hutto v. Finney
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  26. Hutto v. Davis
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  27. on bail, fines, and other punishments, Ingraham v. Wright
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  28. exception. The common law principle incorporated into the Eighth Amendment clearly applied to prison terms. See Hodges v. Humkin
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  29. Hutto v. Finney
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  30. the proportionality principle in capital cases, we have drawn no distinction with cases of imprisonment. See Gregg v. Georgia
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  31. in a noncapital case. Rummel v. Estelle
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  32. Hutto v. Davis
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  33. But no penalty is per se constitutional. As the Court noted in Robinson v. California
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  34. similar crime was punishable by only two years' imprisonment and a fine. 217 U.S. at 217 U. S. 380 . Cf. Trop v. Dulles
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  35. Thus, a court is justified in viewing assault with intent to murder as more serious than simple assault. See Roberts v. Collin
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  36. F.2d 168, 169-170 (CA4 1976) (per curiam), cert. denied, 430 U.S. 973 (1977). Cf. Dembowski v. State
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  37. Cannon v. Gladden
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  38. offers two good examples. A State is constitutionally required to provide an accused with a speedy trial, Klopfer v. North
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  39. to the type of inquiry required by the Speedy Trial Clause. The right to a jury trial is another example. Baldwin v. New
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  40. of his life in the state penitentiary. This sentence is far more severe than the life sentence we considered in Rummel v. Estelle
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  41. have been in any other State. B The State argues that the present case is essentially the same as Rummel v. Estelle
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  42. to be considered for parole, and details the standards and procedures applicable at that time. See, e.g., Greenholtz v. Nebraska
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  43. a sentence at any time for any reason without reference to any standards. See, e.g., Connecticut Board of Pardons v. Dumschat
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  44. Amendment. Recognition of such a bare possibility would make judicial review under the Eighth Amendment meaningless. v. The
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  45. In O'Neil v. Vermont
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  46. Members of the Court continued to recognize the principle of proportionality in the meantime. See, e.g., Trop v. Dulles
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  47. U. S. 317 . On the contrary, our decision is entirely consistent with this Court's prior cases -- including Rummel v. Estelle
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  48. According to Rummel v. Estelle
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  49. In Enmund v. Florida
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  50. judge these admittedly rare cases. We reiterate the objective factors that our cases have recognized. See, e.g., Coker v. Georgia
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