Walker v. Georgia

Background

A Black man convicted of murder and related crimes in Georgia was sentenced to death after a jury found multiple aggravating factors. The record shows he stabbed the victim 12 times, an accomplice took the victim’s wallet, and the defendant tried to use the victim’s keys and said he had “one more to kill.” Georgia law requires the State Supreme Court to compare each death sentence with sentences in similar cases and requires trial judges to send a special report with the record.

Reasoning

The central question presented was whether Georgia’s current administration of its death penalty leads to arbitrary or discriminatory sentences in violation of the Eighth Amendment’s protection against cruel or unusual punishment. The Supreme Court denied review because the State argued the claims were not properly raised in state court. Justice Stevens filed a separate statement explaining that denial of review creates no precedent and criticizing the Georgia Supreme Court’s practice: it used a single, conclusory paragraph comparing only other death sentences (an appendix of 21 cases) and did not meaningfully consider similar cases with life sentences or cases where death was not sought.

Real world impact

Because the Court declined to take the case, Georgia’s disputed review practices remain uncorrected for now. Justice Stevens warned that the truncated comparisons and the failure to enforce the trial‑court reporting rule increase the risk that race or other arbitrary factors will affect who is sentenced to death. The denial is not a final decision on the merits and leaves open the possibility of future review.