Skipper v. South Carolina

Skipper v. South Carolina

Argued February 24th, 1986
Decided April 29, 1986
Full case name Skipper v. South Carolina
Citations

476 U.S. 1 (more)

Prior history Lockett v. Ohio Eddings v. Oklahoma
Holding
The judgment was reversed insofar as it upheld the death penalty, and the case was remanded.
Court membership
Case opinions
Majority White, joined by Brennan, Marshall, Blackmun, Stevens, O'Connor
Concurrence Powell
Laws applied
Eighth Amendment Cruel and Unusual Punishment Due Process Clause

Skipper v. South Carolina, 478 U.S. 1 (1986) is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the rule from Lockett v. Ohio dictated that mitigating evidence not be subject to limitations based on relevance.

Background

Ronald DeRay Skipper was convicted of capital murder and rape in South Carolina. During the penalty phase of his bifurcated trial (as required by Gregg v. Georgia), Skipper sought to introduce as mitigating evidence that he had "adjusted well" to his pre-trial incarceration. Ruling that this evidence was irrelevant, the trial court, in keeping with controlling South Carolina caselaw, excluded the evidence. Skipper was subsequently sentenced to death.

Question Presented

Does the exclusion of mitigation evidence on relevance grounds, under the doctrine articulated by the South Carolina Supreme Court, violate the Supreme Court of the United States' holding in Lockett?

See also