Opinion ID: 750665
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: justiciability of a prisoner's challenge to a death penalty statute

Text: 193 In Campbell, Charles Campbell, a condemned prisoner, challenged Washington's death penalty statute. Campbell, 18 F.3d 662. The statute provided for death by hanging unless the defendant chose lethal injection. Id. at 680 (citing Wash. Rev.Code 10.95.180(1)). Campbell argued that death by hanging was cruel and unusual punishment and that the statute therefore violated the Eighth Amendment. The State of Washington argued that Campbell's claim was nonjusticiable because he could render the controversy moot by choosing lethal injection instead of hanging. Id. at 681. 194 An en banc panel of this court unanimously rejected the State's argument. We stated that the State's focus on Campbell's ability to choose lethal injection is misplaced because the government may not cloak unconstitutional punishments in the mantle of 'choice.'  Id. at 680-81. 195 We illustrated this principle with several of our earlier decisions. Id. (discussing Dear Wing Jung v. United States, 312 F.2d 73 (9th Cir.1962); United States v. Terrigno, 838 F.2d 371 (9th Cir.1988); and United States v. Consuelo-Gonzalez, 521 F.2d 259 (9th Cir.1975)). In Dear Wing Jung, for instance, we noted that departure from the United States as a condition of suspending a sentence was either cruel and unusual punishment or a denial of due process. We held that the condition did not escape review on the ground that the defendant could choose the constitutional punishment of a prison term: It is not enough for the government to answer that such condition merely gave the defendant a 'choice.' For instance, if the condition were that the defendant must join a certain church, that would be an unconstitutional condition upon the sentence. Dear Wing Jung, 312 F.2d at 75-76. 196 Likewise, in Terrigno and Consuelo-Gonzalez, we considered the constitutionality of probation conditions, although in those cases as well, the defendant could have chosen to remain incarcerated. Terrigno, 838 F.2d at 374 (considering whether probation condition violated defendant's First Amendment rights); Consuelo-Gonzalez, 521 F.2d at 264 (considering whether probation condition violated defendant's Fourth Amendment rights). In light of these decisions, we held that Cambell's challenge to hanging was justiciable. 197 I fail to understand why Campbell's mere indication that he would elect death by hanging makes his claim more justiciable than the LaGrands's claim. Campbell's indication that he would choose death by hanging was not binding and not final. Indeed, Campbell's choice was not even specifically articulated-he said that he would be silent, which would result, by default, in death by hanging. When viewed in terms of legally binding, final decisions, the posture of the LaGrands's challenge is identical to that of Campbell. 198 Furthermore, the cases relied on in Campbell do not make the distinction that the majority makes. In fact, it appears that the prisoners in those cases-like the prisoners here-had not chosen the unconstitutional method of execution. See Dear Wing Jung, 312 F.2d at 73 (parenthetical); Terrigno, 838 F.2d at 374 (parenthetical); Consuelo-Gonzalez, 521 F.2d at 264 (parenthetical). Nor, apparently, did they consistently maintain that they would remain silent and elect, by default, the challenged method of death. Nevertheless, their claims were justiciable. 199 It is unreasonable to say that we will not decide whether the LaGrands claim is unconstitutional until the LaGrands choose the very method that they are challenging as cruel and unusual. Such a legal system would subject individuals to actual cruel or unusual punishment under an unconstitutional law until someone chooses lethal gas in order to assert a legal challenge against it.