Scott Louis Panetti, Petitioner

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the case of Petitioner Scott Panetti who was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death by a state court in Texas. It particularly focuses on Panetti's filing of a petition to the state court in which he stated that due to his mental illness, he could not be executed. The paper discusses the facts of the case, the issues and the opinions that affected its outcome.

Table of Contents:
Facts
Issues
Holdings
Rationale
Separate Opinions
Analysis

From the Paper:

"The main argument used by Panetti's defence was that a death row and mentally unstable inmate could only be executed provided that he possessed "rational understanding." However, the court felt that such a standard was subjective and manipulative and would create a precedent on which death row inmates could escape the capital punishment. "Moreover, such a requirement - imported from the Court's Fifth and Sixth Amendment jurisprudence concerning defendants' strategic participation at the guilt and sentencing phases - is out of place at the moment of execution. Finally, the retributive and deterrent interests served by the death penalty - focused primarily as they are on society at large rather than the capital murderer - do not demand the "rational understanding" that Panetti urges.""

Sample of Sources Used:

• Supreme Court of the United States, Syllabus, Panetti v. Quarterman ,
• Panetti, Scot v. Quarterman, Nathaniel, Northwestern University, Medill Journalism, January 9, 2007, http://docket.medill.northwestern.edu/archives/004241.php, last accessed on October 11, 2007
• Scot Louis Panetti v. Nathaniel Quarterman, Official Oral Argument Transcript from The United States Supreme Court, http://209.85.129.104/search?q=cache:WZjUW9b2d00J:www.supremecourtus.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/06-6407.pdf+Panetti+v.+Quarterman+supreme+court&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9, last accessed on October 16, 2007
• Scot Louis Panetti v. Nathaniel Quarterman: Brief for Respondednt, No. 06-6407 in the Supreme Court of the United States
• Tim Birnbaum, Panetti v. Quarterman (06-6407): Death Penalty, Mental Illness, Factual Awareness Standard, Eight Amendment, Retribution, Cornell University Law School, http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cert/06-6407.html, last accessed on October 12, 2007

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