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Zant v. Stephens

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Zant v. Stephens
Decided June 22, 1983
Full case nameZant v. Stephens
Citations462 U.S. 862 (more)
Holding
Aggravating circumstances in the death penalty context must meaningfully narrow the number of people eligible for the death penalty. As long as a defendant does have an aggravating circumstance, it does not matter if the one actually cited to justify the death penalty in their case is set aside.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Warren E. Burger
Associate Justices
William J. Brennan Jr. · Byron White
Thurgood Marshall · Harry Blackmun
Lewis F. Powell Jr. · William Rehnquist
John P. Stevens · Sandra Day O'Connor
Case opinions
MajorityStevens
ConcurrenceRehnquist (in judgment)
Concur/dissentWhite
DissentMarshall, joined by Brennan

Zant v. Stephens, 462 U.S. 862 (1983), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that aggravating circumstances in the death penalty context must meaningfully narrow the number of people eligible for the death penalty. As long as a defendant does have an aggravating circumstance, it does not matter if the one actually cited to justify the death penalty in their case is set aside.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ Zant v. Stephens, 462 U.S. 862 (1983).
  2. ^ Lieberman, Jethro K. (1999). "Aggravating circumstances". A Practical Companion to the Constitution. pp. 39–40.
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