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TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2002

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the death penalty can only be imposed by juries and not judges.

In a 7-2 decision, the Court said state laws which bypassed the jury violated the U.S. Constitution. The ruling affects Arizona and at least four states where hundreds of inmates sit on death row.

The majority opinion was written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Three others filed concurring decisions.

Justice Sandra O'Connor authored the dissent and was joined by Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

Get the Story:
Court: Judges Can't Impose Death Penalty (The Washington Post 6/25)
High court ruling leaves state sentences in doubt (The Lincoln Journal Star 6/25)
Does Ruling Signal Shift In Thinking? (The Washington Post 6/25)
Justices Say Death Penalty Is Up to Juries, Not Judges (The New York Times 6/25)
Fewer Death Sentences Likely if Juries Make Ultimate Decision, Experts Say (The New York Times 6/25)
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Get the Case Ring v. Arizona, No. 01-488:
Syllabus | Opinion | Concurrence [Scalia] | Concurrence [Kennedy] | Concurrence [Breyer] | Dissent [O'Connor]

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