The Importance Of The Eighth Amendment

The majority’s argument in the decision asserted that the Eighth Amendment does not require for a jury be instructed that mitigating circumstances do not need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Also, the Eighth Amendment does not require that the sentencing of a joint trial be separate. The Court held that death penalty case law does not require a court to give the jury explicit instructions on how to consider mitigating evidence. The Court also held that the Eighth Amendment does not control procedural issues, such as the claim that each defendant was