Wilkerson v. Utah | |
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Argued January 8, 1879 Decided March 17, 1879 | |
Full case name | Wallace Wilkerson, plaintiff in error, v. People of the United States in the Territory of Utah |
Citations | 99 U.S. 130 (more) 25 L. Ed. 345; 1878 U.S. LEXIS 1517; 9 Otto 130 |
Holding | |
Utah Territory court's sentence of death by firing squad was not cruel and unusual punishment; Supreme Court of the Territory of Utah affirmed. | |
Court membership | |
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Case opinion | |
Majority | Clifford, joined by unanimous |
Laws applied | |
U.S. Const. amend. VIII |
Wilkerson v. Utah, 99 U.S. 130 (1879), is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court affirmed the judgment of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Utah in stating that execution by firing squad, as prescribed by the Utah territorial statute, was not cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution.[1][2]