格罗斯普案与美国当前的死刑政策

The Case of Glossip and the Current American Death Penalty Policy

在美国,死刑的存废一直是一个备受争议的话题。2015年的格罗斯普案因事关"注射死刑是否构成残酷且不寻常的刑罚"而成为备受美国社会关注的热门案例之一。由于涉及死刑问题,在裁判过程中,美国联邦最高法院大法官之间出现了严重的分歧,最终以5∶4的微弱多数裁判上诉人败诉;该案判决后,引发了美国社会各界的广泛争论,一些针对美国联邦最高法院的批评和质疑甚至有些夸张。文章以格罗斯普案为例,通过基本案情、主要争议点、联邦最高法院大法官的不同意见来分析美国各界对死刑违宪问题的看法和争议。

It has been a controversial issue whether death penalty should continue in the United States of America. In 2015 the case of Glossip drew much public atten- tion as it focused on whether injection -induced death penalty should be con- sidered cruel and unusual. In the process of judgment much division occurred among the judges of the Supreme Court, with a final result of 5 ： 4 defeating the prosecution. After the verdict was rendered, criticism and suspicion were east on the Supreme Court. This paper explores the opinions and debates on whether the death penalty violated American constitution from the angles of the general situation, major controversies and the Supreme Court judges＂ divided views.