Opinion ID: 2150043
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: Constitutionality Per Se.

Text: Acknowledging that firmly established precedent is to the contrary, defendant nevertheless contends that the killing of convicts by any means is always unconstitutional due to the suffering and degradation inherent in the very act of taking away a life, the arbitrariness with which the ultimate penalty is imposed and the availability with which the ultimate penalty is imposed and the punishments which lack the severity of death. Br. of Appellant at 33. Defendant's argument has been frequently analyzed at length and rejected, both by the United States Supreme Court and by our own court. See, e.g., Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153, 168, 96 S.Ct. 2909, 2922-23, 49 L.Ed.2d 859 (1976) (joint opinion of Stewart, Powell, and Stevens, JJ.); Brewer v. State (1981), 275 Ind. 338, 346-47, 417 N.E.2d 889, 894, cert. denied, 458 U.S. 1122, 102 S.Ct. 3510, 73 L.Ed.2d 1384 (1982), reh'g denied, 458 U.S. 1132, 103 S.Ct. 18, 73 L.Ed.2d 1403 (1982), denial of post-conviction relief aff'd (1986), Ind., 496 N.E.2d 371, cert. denied, 480 U.S. 940, 107 S.Ct. 1591, 94 L.Ed.2d 780 (1987), conditional grant of writ of habeas corpus aff'd, Brewer v. Shettle, 917 F.2d 1306 (7th Cir.1990), opinion issued, Brewer v. Aiken, 935 F.2d 850 (7th Cir.1991). We reaffirm that the Indiana death penalty statute is constitutional.