Ford v. Wainwright
| Ford v. Wainwright | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Argued April 22, 1986 Decided June 26, 1986 |
|
| Full case name | Ford v. Wainwright |
| Docket nos. | 85-5542 |
| Citations | 477 U.S. 399 (more)
106 S. Ct. 2595; 91 L. Ed. 2d 335; 1986 U.S. LEXIS 64; 54 U.S.L.W. 4799
|
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Prior history | Certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit |
| Subsequent history | Post-conviction relief denied at, Writ of habeas corpus denied Ford v. State, 522 So. 2d 345 (Fla., 1988) |
| Holding | |
| The Eighth Amendment prohibits the execution of the insane. | |
| Court membership | |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Marshall, joined by Brennan, Blackmun, Powell, Stevens |
| Concur/dissent | O'Connor, joined by White |
| Dissent | Rehnquist, joined by Burger |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. VIII | |
Ford v. Wainwright, 477 U.S. 399 (1986), was a U.S. Supreme Court case that upheld the common law rule that the insane cannot be executed; therefore the petitioner is entitled to a competency evaluation and to an evidentiary hearing in court on the question of their competency to be executed.
Alvin Bernard Ford was convicted of murder in 1974 and sentenced to death in the state of Florida. In 1982, while on death row, Ford's mental health diminished to a point resembling paranoid schizophrenia: Ford began referring to himself as Pope John Paul III, and reported such accomplishments as thwarting a vast Ku Klux Klan conspiracy to bury dead prisoners inside the prison walls; foiling an attempt by prison guards to torture his female relatives inside the prison; and personally appointing nine new justices to the Florida Supreme Court. Ford also claimed he was "free to go whenever [he] wanted", because Ford theorized that anyone who executed him would in turn be executed. A panel of three psychiatrists was eventually called to examine Ford's behavior, and concluded that while Ford suffered from psychosis and various mental disorders, that Ford was still capable of understanding the nature of the death penalty and the effect that such a penalty would have on him. The governor of Florida, Bob Graham, acted without further comment on the panel's findings, but in accord with a Florida Statute, and signed a death warrant for Ford in 1984. Ford sued the Secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections, Louie L. Wainwright.
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