Wilkerson v. Utah

Wilkerson v. Utah
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued January 8, 1879
Decided March 17, 1879
Full case nameWallace Wilkerson, plaintiff in error, v. People of the United States in the Territory of Utah
Citations99 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
Chief Justice
Morrison Waite
Associate Justices
Nathan Clifford · Noah H. Swayne
Samuel F. Miller · Stephen J. Field
William Strong · Joseph P. Bradley
Ward Hunt · John M. Harlan
Case opinion
MajorityClifford, 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]

  1. ^ Wilkerson v. Utah, 99 U.S. 130 (1879). Public domain This article incorporates public domain material from this U.S government document.
  2. ^ "Reports of cases argued and decided in the Supreme Court of the United States". Lawyers Cooperative Publishing. 1885. pp. 345–348. Retrieved October 29, 2010.