New York's Death Penalty Law Declared Unconstitutional: People v. Stephen LaValle (2004)
New York's Death Penalty Law Declared Unconstitutional DPIC Summary: People v. Stephen LaValle On June 24, 2004, New York's highest court held that the state's jury instructions were unconstitutional under the state constitution and that the constitutional defect in the existing statute could only be cured by passage of a new law by the legislature. The Court of Appeals vacated the death sentence of Stephen LaValle, concluding that the jurors might impose the death penalty on a defendant whom they believed did not deserve it simply because they feared that the defendant might someday be released. The court remanded the...
Original Article: Forum: News/Activism
Tags: Court Of Appeals, Death Penalty Law, Death People, Death Sentence, Defendant, June 24, Jurors, Jury Instructions, State Constitution, Stephen Lavalle, X27