Ep. 191 - The Eighth Amendment

Once again, the Founders showed their preference for brevity with the 8th Amendment.  It is actually the shortest of all the amendments but packs a wallop in just 16 words!  In this week's chat, we are discussing the elements of the 8th Amendment: protections against excessive bails and fines and protections against cruel and unusual punishments.  We answer what is a cruel and unusual punishment, who decides the standard by which punishment is deemed legal or illegal, how does this relate to "death-eligible" crimes in the application of the death penalty and what is the evolving standard of decency that's used as litmus test?  For this insightful conversation, we are pleased to welcome Paul McNulty, former US Attorney, Former Deputy US Attorney General and current president of Grove City College to share his knowledge and insight with our all-star student panel.