Legal Opinion
In re Caulk
Supreme Court of New Hampshire
Decided July 23, 1984No. 84-246PublishedCited by 38 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtBatchelder, J.
The Superior Court (DiClerico, J.), on May 29, 1984, transferred without ruling the following question of law to this court:
“Does Joel Caulk, an inmate at the New Hampshire State Prison, have a constitutional right to die, without interference by the State, if he is mentally competent to make such a decision and if he has knowingly and voluntarily decided to die by starvation?”
For the reasons indicated below, we answer the question in the negative. Our analysis rests on the following facts found by the superior court.
Joel Caulk is a thirty-six-year-old prisoner in the New Hampshire State…
2Cases cited10 opinions
- Estelle v. GambleSupreme Court of the United States · 1976
- Bell v. WolfishSupreme Court of the United States · 1979
- Hudson v. PalmerSupreme Court of the United States · 1984
- Superintendent of Belchertown State School v. SaikewiczMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1977
- Commissioner of Correction v. MyersMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1979
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3Cited by38 opinions
- Matter of ConroySupreme Court of New Jersey · 1985
- Berrell Freeman v. Gerald A. BergeCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · 2006
- Brophy v. New England Sinai Hospital, Inc.Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1986
- Rasmussen by Mitchell v. FlemingArizona Supreme Court · 1987
- Commonwealth v. SamSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 2008
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