SCOTUS Blog·1 hour ago·Thursday, October 29, 2026, 9:30 AM

The Supreme Court and what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment

Earlier this month, the concept of cruel and unusual punishment briefly captured the country’s attention after the state of Tennessee on Sept. 30 tried and failed to execute Christa Pike. Pike, who was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, survived being injected with two lethal doses of pentobarbital.

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