Hill v. McDonough
| Hill v. McDonough | |
|---|---|
| Argued April 26, 2006 Decided June 12, 2006 | |
| Full case name | Clarence E. Hill, Petitioner v. James R. McDonough, Interim Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, et al. |
| Docket no. | 05-8794 |
| Citations | 547 U.S. 573 (more) 126 S. Ct. 2096; 165 L. Ed. 2d 44; 2006 U.S. LEXIS 4674; 74 U.S.L.W. 4307; 19 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S 242 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Petition dismissed, M.D. Fla., Jan. 21, 2006; affirmed, 437 F.3d 1084 (11th Cir. 2006); cert. granted, 546 U.S. 1158 (2006). |
| Holding | |
| Because a death row prisoner's Eighth Amendment challenge to the method of execution was not a habeas corpus petition, but instead stated a claim under 42 U.S.C. §1983, his claim could not be barred by his previously filed petition for habeas relief. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed and remanded. | |
| Court membership | |
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| Case opinion | |
| Majority | Kennedy, joined by unanimous |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. VIII; U.S. Const. amend. XIV; 28 U.S.C. § 2244; 42 U.S.C. § 1983 | |
Hill v. McDonough, 547 U.S. 573 (2006), was a United States Supreme Court case challenging the use of lethal injection as a form of execution in the state of Florida. The Court ruled unanimously that a challenge to the method of execution as violating the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution properly raised a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, which provides a cause of action for civil rights violations, rather than under the habeas corpus provisions. Accordingly, that the prisoner had previously sought habeas relief could not bar the present challenge.