Cruel and Unusual Punishment — related Supreme Court cases
This page groups Supreme Court cases that involve the constitutional concept “Cruel and Unusual Punishment”. Use it to explore related decisions and see how the same idea shows up across different cases.
“Cruel and Unusual Punishment” is:
Limits on excessive, disproportionate, or inhumane punishments.
Source: Eighth Amendment Where this concept definition/label comes from (for example, a constitutional provision or a reference framework).
Cases
These are cases where this concept was identified as relevant. Click a case to view its summary, holding, and supporting syllabus excerpts.
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City of Grants Pass v. Johnson
28th June 2024
The case directly addresses whether the enforcement of public-camping laws constitutes 'cruel and unusual punishment' under the Eighth Amendment.
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Thornell v. Jones
30th May 2024
The case involves the imposition of the death penalty and the consideration of mitigating and aggravating circumstances, which relates to the Eighth Amendment.
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Nance v. Ward
23rd June 2022
The case involves a challenge to the method of execution under the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.
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Wooden v. United States
7th March 2022
The case involves the interpretation of the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) and whether the enhancement of Wooden's sentence was appropriate, which implicates concerns about disproportionate punishment.
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United States v. Tsarnaev
4th March 2022
The case discusses the application of the Federal Death Penalty Act and the exclusion of certain evidence in the sentencing phase.