Justice Stevens on the 25th Anniversary of ABA’s Death Penalty Representation Project

The American Bar Association celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Death Penalty Representation Project on September 14 by honoring Justice John Paul Stevens with the Guiding Hand of Counsel Award. Stevens spoke about the history of the death penalty in the US.

After many years of support for capital punishment, Stevens publicly declared his opposition to the death penalty for juvenile offenders just two years before his retirement from the Court. Later, he joined three other justices in concluding that capital punishment is unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment.