United States v. Burns 1 S.C.R. 283, 2001 SCC 7, was a decision by the Supreme Court of Canada in which it was found that extradition of individuals to places where they may face the death penalty is a breach of fundamental justice under section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The decision reached this conclusion through a discussion of evidence regarding the arbitrary nature of execution, although the Court did not go so far as to say execution was also unconstitutional under section 12 of the Charter, which forbids cruel and unusual punishments.
The case essentially overruled Kindler v. Canada (Minister of Justice) (1991) and Reference re Ng Extradition (1991). In Burns, the Supreme Court justices claimed to be considering different kinds of evidence.
Read more about United States V. Burns: Background, Decision, Resulting Extradition and Trial
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