Witherspoon v. Illinois

In Witherspoon v. Illinois, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that excluding potential jurors solely because they have reservations about the death penalty is unconstitutional. The Court reasoned that such exclusions result in juries that may be biased in their sentencing decisions, as they do not represent the full spectrum of community conscience.12

While individuals with absolute opposition to imposing the death penalty can still be excluded, those with general philosophical opposition are not automatically disqualified. The decision aimed to ensure that juries in capital cases are more representative of the community and capable of impartially considering both life imprisonment and execution as potential sentences.2