Robinson v. United States
| Robinson v. United States | |
|---|---|
| Argued February 8, 1945 Decided March 5, 1945 | |
| Full case name | Thomas Henry Robinson Jr. v. United States |
| Docket no. | 514 |
| Citations | 324 U.S. 282 (more) |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Robinson v. United States, 144 F.2d 392 (6th Cir. 1944) |
| Holding | |
| A defendant under the Federal Kidnapping Act, which provides an offender may receive the death sentence if they harm a victim, may receive capital punishment if the damage they caused to a victim was "not permanent". | |
| Court membership | |
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| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Black, joined by Stone, Roberts, Reed, Frankfurter, Douglas, Byrnes, Jackson |
| Dissent | Rutledge, joined by Murphy |
| Laws applied | |
| Federal Kidnapping Act | |
Thomas Henry Robinson Jr. v. United States, 324 U.S. 282 (1945), was a Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that under the Federal Kidnapping Act which states, "the sentence of death shall not be imposed by the court if, prior to its imposition, the kidnapped person has been liberated unharmed", a defendant may receive the death sentence if their victim suffered from non-permanent injuries. Although the court ruled in this way, it did so mainly on the premise it did not feel it had sufficient reason to "nullify the clearly expressed purpose of Congress" in this case.