Supreme Court wrestles with juvenile executions.

• Position: Trends And Transitions - Brief Article

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent consideration of Roper v. Simmons has catapulted into the spotlight the execution of juveniles under the age of 18.

Roper v. Simmons came to the Court on appeal from the Missouri Supreme Court, whose ruling followed the logic behind the high court's 2002 Atkins v. Virginia decision that struck down the death penalty for the mentally retarded. The Missouri court applied the same arguments to the juvenile offenders case, namely the inability to control impulses, mental immaturity, a lower level of moral responsibility, the inability to understand death or the reason for the sentence, and a mind not fully developed. Justice Ruth Bader Gingsburg raised the argument that the dividing line between adults and children is the age of 18 and not younger. "Americans have to be 18 to vote, to sit on juries, to serve in the...