| Deck v. Missouri | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued March 1, 2005 Decided May 23, 2005 | |
| Full case name | Carman L. Deck v. State of Missouri |
| Docket no. | 04-5293 |
| Citations | 544 U.S. 622 (more) 125 S. Ct. 2007; 161 L. Ed. 2d 953 |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Missouri Supreme Court upholds Deck's original death sentence, 994 S.W.2d 527 (1999). Three years later Deck's sentence is thrown out by the Missouri Supreme Court, 68 S.W.3d 418 (2002). Deck is sentenced to death again after being visibly shackled during this sentencing phase (2003). Missouri Supreme Court upheld this decision 136 S.W.3d 481 (2004). |
| Holding | |
| Unless the shackling pertains to a specific defendant for specific state interests, the Constitution forbids the shackling of a defendant in the sentencing phase of a trial. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Breyer, joined by Rehnquist, Stevens, O'Connor, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg |
| Dissent | Thomas, joined by Scalia |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amends. V, VI, VIII, XIV | |
Deck v. Missouri, 544 U.S. 622 (2005), was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the constitutionality of shackling a prisoner during the sentencing phase of a trial. In a 7–2 opinion delivered by Justice Breyer, the court held that it is against due process, a right prescribed by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, to shackle a defendant in the sentencing portion of a trial unless the shackling relates to a specific defendant and certain state interests.