Number: RS20369
Title: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: SUMMARY OF SUPREME COURT DECISIONS OF THE 1998-99 TERM
Authors: Paul S. Wallace, Jr., American Law Division 
Abstract: The most significant capital punishment cases decided by the Supreme Court during the 1998-99 term did very little in terms of reversing the lower courts where the petitioners were the defendants at the trial level. Significantly, among these cases, the Court settled splits in the circuits on issues of statutory interpretation and other trial-related issues. The Court also made clear that withholding an element of an offense from a jury's consideration can be a harmless error. In the Strickler case, the Court gave some guidance on what "materiality" means for purposes of the disclosure rule of Brady v. Maryland. Additionally, the Court took its first look at the new federal death penalty statute.
Pages: 6
Date: Updated October 21, 1999