Opinion ID: 2082485
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 15

Heading: The Electric Chair

Text: The post-conviction court rejected appellant's ground based upon the factual claim that Indiana's electric chair is in a state of great disrepair. The ground is based upon the prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment. The ground does not include the argument that the death penalty or even the use of an electric chair generally is unconstitutional. Rather, the contention is that Indiana's electric chair is so old and in such an extreme state of disrepair that its very use would result in the unnecessary and wanton infliction of pain, because the chair does not function properly. The post-conviction court granted the State's motion for summary judgment on this ground. Appellant did present the post-conviction court a response opposing the State's Motion for Summary Disposition. That response is part of the record certified to this Court. In the response, appellant cited the dissent of Justice Brennan in Glass v. Louisiana, 471 U.S. 1080, 105 S.Ct. 2159, 85 L.Ed.2d 514 (1985), describing death electrocution in detail; a newspaper account relating that Indiana officials had to send five separate jolts of electricity in order to execute William Vandiver; and another newspaper account relating the urging of a deputy commissioner of operations in the Indiana Department of Corrections, before a legislative committee that either the system of executions in Indiana should be changed, or the state's 50 year old electric chair should be upgraded. We are in accord with the post-conviction court that no genuine issue of material fact was at issue and the State was entitled to summary judgment.