On April 1, 2019 I entered the United States Supreme Court with fellow Southern Illinois University School of Law Alumni. This was the morning of a Group Admission Ceremony where members of the bar from across the nation. It was a crisp spring morning, when I arrived at the Court with my closest friend from law school.
Before the Group Admission Ceremony began, the court announced two opinions. The opinion that received the most press was the opinion issued in Bucklew v. Precythe, Director, Missouri Department of Corrections, et al. The issue in this case related to the Petitioner’s assertion that death my lethal injection would be cruel and unusual punishment as forbidden by the Eighth Amendment. The Petitioner had argued that due to his medical condition, lethal injection could cause significantly negative effects. Petitioner proposed that the state use an alternative method for his execution. Citing Glossivp v. Gross, 576 U.S. ____, The Court held that the Eighth Amendment “does not guarantee a prisoner a painless death.”Id.