South Carolina v. Gathers

South Carolina v. Gathers

Argued March 28, 1989
Decided June 12, 1989
Full case name Demitrius Gathers v. Tennessee
Citations

490 U.S. 805 (more)

490 U.S. 805
Prior history Certiorari to the Supreme Court of South Carolina
Holding
Victim impact evidence is only relevant at the sentencing stage and thus admissible, if it directly relates to the circumstances of the crime. The content of religious cards possessed by the victim cannot equate to such relevance, and contribute nothing to the defendant's blameworthiness.
Court membership
Case opinions
Majority Brennan, joined by White, Marshall, Blackmun, Stevens
Concurrence White
Dissent O'Connor, joined by Rehnquist, Kennedy
Dissent Scalia
Overruled by
Payne v. Tennessee

South Carolina v. Gathers, 490 U.S. 805 (1989) was a United States Supreme Court which held that testimony in the form of a victim impact statement is only admissible during the sentencing phase of a trial if it directly relates to the 'circumstances of the crime'. This case was later overruled by the Supreme Court decision in Payne v. Tennessee 501 U.S. 808 (1991).[1]

Reasoning

The Court held that their opinion in Booth v. Maryland left open the possibility that the kind of information contained in victim impact statements could be admissible if it "relate[d] directly to the circumstances of the crime." Though South Carolina asserted that such is the case here, the Brennan-led majority disagreed, holding the content of the cards at issue to be irrelevant to the "circumstances of the crime."

Four Justices dissented: Sandra Day O'Connor, William Rehnquist, Anthony Kennedy and Antonin Scalia.

Impact

The impact of the case was somewhat short-lived, as two years later the Rehnquist Court decided Payne, which has since had a significant, ongoing impact in victim's rights,[2] criminology, the law, the Court itself, and the lives of the parties involved; far wider-reaching than the impact of Gathers.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Judgment is re-worded from the decision, q.v., Supreme.Justia.com. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  2. ↑ Donahoe, Joel F. (1999). "The Changing Role of Victim Impact Evidence in Capital Cases". Western Criminology Review 2 (1). Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  3. ↑ Slowinski, Richard Lee (1990). "Note: South Carolina v. Gathers: Prohibiting the Use of Victim-Related Information in Capital Punishment Proceedings". Catholic University Law Review Fall (40): 215.

External links