The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States grants jury trial rights to criminal defendants. In Ring v. Arizona, the Court considered whether a trial judge may impose the death penalty and therefore increase a criminal defendant’s jury imposed sentence after a jury finds the defendant guilty of first-degree murder. The Court held that it was unconstitutional for a sentencing judge, sitting without a jury, to increase a defendant’s sentence. In doing so, the Court partially overruled its prior decision in Walton v. Arizona, which held constitutional the judicial consideration of aggravating and mitigating factors in criminal sentencing. . . .
Constitutional Law—Judge’s Imposition of Death Penalty Violates Sixth Amendment’s Right to a Trial by Jury—Ring v. Arizona, 536 U.S. 584 (2002)
Jan 19, 2004 | Case Comments, Number 1, Print Edition, Volume 37