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In Kahler v. Kansas 18-6135 case, James Kraig Kahler petitions that the criminal laws of Kansas are unconstitutional and contradict the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. The petitioner was pronounced guilty in the case of murdering his wife, who filed for divorce, their two daughters, and his wifes grandmother. Jurors sentenced Mr. Kahler to the death penalty for four counts of capital murder. The defendant used the possibility to submit evidence of mental incapacity of intent during the sentencing stage of the trial, but the sentence imposed remained in force.
Mr. Kahler appealed the decision to Kansas Supreme Court, implying a lack of fair trial procedures during his judgment. After the rejection of the appeal, Mr. Kahler petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court that failure to apply MNaghten rules as a part of the insanity defense is a breach of the Eights and 14th Amendments (Poché, 2021). Six Justices against three ruled for affirmation of the previous decision and sentencing. The majoritys opinion was that the Constitutions Due Process Clause, which banishes Cruel and Unusual Punishments, does not require the state laws to consider whether the defendant perceived their acts as wrongful (Roytman, 2020). There is no denying the petitioners mental disorders, but according to the diagnosis, it does not prove that killing his family was not the petitioners intended goal (Larkin & Canaparo. 2020). According to Kansas criminal law, understanding the action measures insanity and not the defenders moral assessment of a situation.
Based on the information presented, I would say that Kansas laws on the mental capacity of defendants should be reviewed to be more inclusive for people suffering from mental illnesses. Still, I agree with the Courts decision in this particular case. There is no evidence of infringement nor the eighth nor Fourteenth Amendments in the Kansas laws applied in the case against James Kraig Kahler.
References
Larkin Jr, P. J., & Canaparo, G. (2020). Are criminals bad or mad: Premeditated murder, mental illness, and Kahler v. Kansas. Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, 43(1), 85153.
Poché, E. (2021). Kahler v. Kansas: A defense denied. Denver Law Review, 98(4), 867900.
Roytman, E. (2020). Kahler v. Kansas: The end of the insanity defense? Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Sidebar, 15, 4358.
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