The constitution The way it relates to you and me

U.S. supreme court stays Florida lethal injection The U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay of execution to Clarence Hill in Florida just minutes before his execution was to take place on January 24. The next day, the Court made the stay permanent until they could hear Hill's challenge to the lethal injection procedures in Florida. Hill raised a civil rights claim (section 1983) stating that the chemicals used in lethal injection could inflict severe and unnecessary pain. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit rejected his use of the civil rights law and required that his claim be considered as part of his regular (habeas corpus) death penalty appeal. They then rejected the claim. The U.S. Supreme Court has granted certiorari and has ordered that briefings be completed by April 17. In an earlier case, Nelson v. Campbell (2004), challenging parts of the lethal injection procedures in Alabama, the Court allowed the inmate to proceed with his civil rights claim. A man in Florida claims that lethal injection is a punishment that is cruel and inflicts unnecessary pain so therefore obstructs the constition and breaks the 8 th amendment stating that “excessive bail shall not be reqierd,nor be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted This is cruel punishment that causes unnessary pain and we are protected by the constitution with the 8 th amendment.

Son of Sam law is unconstitutional A state law allowing victims of felonies to collect money from offenders who produce books, magazines or movies related to the crime is an unconstitutional violation of free speech, the Nevada Supreme Court has ruled. In striking down the state’s “Son of Sam” law, the court said that author and convicted felon Jimmy Lerner has a legal right to write a book — and reap its profits — that included details about suffocating his friend during a 1997 fistfight and going to prison for the slaying. The state of Nevada said that the son of Sam law is unconstitutional that a felon cannot get profit from material that has to do with a previous crime in this case Mr.. Lerner a convicted felon wrote a book about the crime he committed and the state tried to say he could not do this it violates his first amendment “ the freedom of speech and press” This limits our freedom of press and that we are told we can write what ever we want but this says that we no long are able to. And this is protected by the first amendment.

Ban on same sex marriage A san Francisco superior court judge declared California's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional Monday, saying it violates the "basic human right to marry a person of one's choice.'' California's state constition is unconstitutional due to the fact that it bans same sex marriage. The same sex couple said it is a violation of the united states constitution article 4 sec 1 “a marriage license or corporation charter issued by one state must be accepted in other states” This can affect in the fact that it limits the states that same sex people can live in and have the marriage license legal this is not constitutional all marriage license are to be valid in every state.

Patriot act unconstitutional A federal judge in los angles declared that a section of the patriot acts bars giving expert advice or assistance to groups designated international terrorist groups. This violates the first amendment the freedom of speech. It also violates the fourth amendment freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. With this act they can conduct secret search though anything that you have like medical, school, financial, mental records with minimal oversight. It also impedes the fifth amendment. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process. the FBI can investigate u.s. citizens for criminal matters if they say it is for intelligence proposes. Also it goes against the sixth amendment the right to a speedy and fair trial. Suspect convicted of no crime can be detained for six months with out having to have been giving a trial. this affects my rights a a citizen because anyone could say I am a terrorist and then put me in jail for six months before I go to trial it also limits my privacy the government could search my thing without a warrant.