Proposition 17 of 1972 was a measure enacted by California voters to reintroduce the death penalty in that state. The California Supreme Court had ruled on February 17, 1972, that capital punishment was contrary to the state constitution. Proposition 17 amended the Constitution of California in order to overturn that decision. It was submitted to a referendum by means of the initiative process, and approved by voters on November 7 with 67.5% of the vote.[1]
The court ruled in People v. Anderson that capital punishment was contrary to Article 1, Section 6 of the state constitution,[2] which forbade "cruel or unusual punishment", and was held to be more strict than the similarly worded provision of the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that says "cruel and unusual punishment". Proposition 17 amended the state constitution by adding Article 1, Section 27, which reads:
All statutes of this state in effect on February 17, 1972, requiring, authorizing, imposing, or relating to the death penalty are in full force and effect, subject to legislative amendment or repeal by statute, initiative, or referendum. The death penalty provided for under those statutes shall not be deemed to be, or to constitute, the infliction of cruel or unusual punishments within the meaning of Article I, Section 6 nor shall such punishment for such offenses be deemed to contravene any other provision of this constitution.[3]
People v. Friersonedit
In 1979, it was argued before the California Supreme Court (in People v. Frierson) that Proposition 17 was unconstitutional, as it amounted to a "revision" rather than an "amendment" of the state constitution, and a revision may not be enacted by an initiative. The court rejected this argument. Justice Stanley Mosk filed a concurring opinion in which he reluctantly agreed with the judgment of the court, but also expressed his dismay at the response of the electorate to Anderson:
The people of California responded quickly and emphatically, both directly and through their elected representatives, to callously declare that whatever the trends elsewhere in the nation and the world, society in our state does not deem the retributive extinction of a human life to be either cruel or unusual.[4]
Aftermathedit
Despite Proposition 17, no executions were carried out in California until 1992. This was due to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the same year in Furman v. Georgia (which temporarily halted capital punishment in the United States) and to extensive litigation that occurred thereafter.
1972, california, proposition, confused, with, 2020, california, proposition, proposition, 1972, measure, enacted, california, voters, reintroduce, death, penalty, that, state, california, supreme, court, ruled, february, 1972, that, capital, punishment, contr. Not to be confused with 2020 California Proposition 17 Proposition 17 of 1972 was a measure enacted by California voters to reintroduce the death penalty in that state The California Supreme Court had ruled on February 17 1972 that capital punishment was contrary to the state constitution Proposition 17 amended the Constitution of California in order to overturn that decision It was submitted to a referendum by means of the initiative process and approved by voters on November 7 with 67 5 of the vote 1 Contents 1 Background 1 1 People v Anderson 1 2 People v Frierson 2 Aftermath 3 See also 4 ReferencesBackground editPeople v Anderson edit The court ruled in People v Anderson that capital punishment was contrary to Article 1 Section 6 of the state constitution 2 which forbade cruel or unusual punishment and was held to be more strict than the similarly worded provision of the Eighth Amendment of the U S Constitution that says cruel and unusual punishment Proposition 17 amended the state constitution by adding Article 1 Section 27 which reads All statutes of this state in effect on February 17 1972 requiring authorizing imposing or relating to the death penalty are in full force and effect subject to legislative amendment or repeal by statute initiative or referendum The death penalty provided for under those statutes shall not be deemed to be or to constitute the infliction of cruel or unusual punishments within the meaning of Article I Section 6 nor shall such punishment for such offenses be deemed to contravene any other provision of this constitution 3 People v Frierson edit In 1979 it was argued before the California Supreme Court in People v Frierson that Proposition 17 was unconstitutional as it amounted to a revision rather than an amendment of the state constitution and a revision may not be enacted by an initiative The court rejected this argument Justice Stanley Mosk filed a concurring opinion in which he reluctantly agreed with the judgment of the court but also expressed his dismay at the response of the electorate to Anderson The people of California responded quickly and emphatically both directly and through their elected representatives to callously declare that whatever the trends elsewhere in the nation and the world society in our state does not deem the retributive extinction of a human life to be either cruel or unusual 4 Aftermath editDespite Proposition 17 no executions were carried out in California until 1992 This was due to the U S Supreme Court decision in the same year in Furman v Georgia which temporarily halted capital punishment in the United States and to extensive litigation that occurred thereafter See also editCapital punishment in California 2012 California Proposition 34 2016 California Proposition 66 2016 California Proposition 62 People v Anderson Strauss v Horton Twenty first Amendment of the Constitution of IrelandReferences edit California Proposition 17 Death Penalty in the California Constitution 1972 Ballotpedia This provision has since moved to Article 1 Section 17 The People v Frierson People v Frierson 25 Cal 3d 142 189 1978 nbsp This article about the politics of California is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1972 California Proposition 17 amp oldid 1214332580, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
