Legal Opinion
Godfrey v. Georgia
Supreme Court of the United States
Decided May 19, 1980No. 78-6899PublishedCited by 1,627 opinions
1Judgment of the CourtJustice Stewart, joined by Justice Blackmun, Justice Powell, and Justice Stevens
Under Georgia law, a person convicted of murder1 may be sentenced to death if it is found beyond a reasonable doubt that the offense “was outrageously or wantonly vile, horrible or inhuman in that it involved torture, depravity of mind, or an aggravated battery to the victim." Ga. Code § 27-2534.1 (b) (7) (1978). In Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U. S. 153, the Court held that this statutory aggravating circumstance (§ (b)(7)) is not unconstitutional on its face. Responding to the argument that the language of the provision is “so broad that capi*423tal punishment could be imposed in any murder case/' the…
2Cases cited25 opinions
- Gregg v. GeorgiaSupreme Court of the United States · 1976
- Furman v. GeorgiaSupreme Court of the United States · 1972
- Woodson v. North CarolinaSupreme Court of the United States · 1976
- Jurek v. TexasSupreme Court of the United States · 1976
- Gardner v. FloridaSupreme Court of the United States · 1977
20 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by1,627 opinions
- Eddings v. OklahomaSupreme Court of the United States · 1982
- Atkins v. VirginiaSupreme Court of the United States · 2002
- Caldwell v. MississippiSupreme Court of the United States · 1985
- Penry v. LynaughSupreme Court of the United States · 1989
- Roper v. SimmonsSupreme Court of the United States · 2005
1,622 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.