Kennedy v. Louisiana, 554 U.S. 407 (2008), was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that held that the Eighth Amendment's Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause did not permit a state to punish the crime of rape of a child with the death penalty; more broadly, the power of the state to impose the death penalty against an individual for committing a crime that did not result in the death of the victim is now limited to crimes against the state (i.e., espionage, treason).
Read more about Kennedy V. Louisiana: Background, U.S. Supreme Court, Questions Presented, Reaction
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