Tipsheet

SCOTUS Must Look at all the Facts

Today, my colleagues and I are writing the United States Supreme Court to express our extreme disappointment over their recent decision in Kennedy v. Louisiana that prevents convicted child rapists from receiving the death penalty for their heinous crimes.

The Court's decision is based on seriously flawed logic and certain absolute facts disprove the basis for their ruling.  The case should be reconsidered in the interests of justice.

What the Court failed to consider is that in 2005, Congress enacted the death penalty for child rapists under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and, in 2007, President Bush issued an executive order codifying this provision into the 2008 Manual for Courts-Martial.

Furthermore, the passing of this provision of the Code by a wide majority in Congress demonstrates a national consensus for the death penalty for child rapists of which the Justices were apparently previously unaware.  
 
Despite the Court's reasoning, the federal government does indeed have the death penalty for the rape of a child already on the books.

Our letter respectfully asks the Court to reconsider its decision by taking into account the complete set of facts.