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)

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
Chief Justice
William Rehnquist
Associate Justices
William J. Brennan, Jr. · Byron White
Thurgood Marshall · Harry Blackmun
John P. Stevens · Sandra Day O'Connor
Antonin Scalia · Anthony Kennedy
Case opinions
Majority Brennan, joined by White, Marshall, Blackmun, Stevens
Concurrence White
Dissent O'Connor, joined by Rehnquist, Kennedy
Dissent Scalia
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. VIII
Overruled by
Payne v. Tennessee (1991)

South Carolina v. Gathers, 490 U.S. 805 (1989), was a United States Supreme Court case 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]

Opinion of the Court

In a majority opinion by Justice Brennan, the Court held that Booth v. Maryland (1987) 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 Court disagreed, holding that the content of the cards at issue to be irrelevant to the "circumstances of the crime."

Justice O'Connor authored a dissenting opinion, joined by Chief Justice Rehnquist and Justice Kennedy; Justice Scalia also dissented, expressly arguing that Booth v. Maryland should be overruled.

Aftermath

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

See also

References

  1. ↑ Judgment is re-worded from the decision, q.v., Supreme.Justia.com. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Donahoe, Joel F. (1999). "The Changing Role of Victim Impact Evidence in Capital Cases". Western Criminology Review. 2 (1). Retrieved 2012-10-31.
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