Ruling in Atkins v. Virginia, on June 20, 2002, the majority opinion declared, “Executions of mentally retarded criminals are ‘cruel and unusual punishments’ prohibited by the Eighth Amendment.”
The question presented was:
“[W]hether either justification that we have recognized as a basis for the death penalty applies to mentally retarded offenders.”
Oral Arguments
You can hear the oral arguments for this case here:
Or listen to them directly on the Supreme Court’s website here.
The Ruling
You can read the final ruling in Atkins v. Virginia either in our read in full below, or click here for a PDF.
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