Michael Taylor (prisoner)
Encyclopedia
Michael Taylor is a Missouri
prison inmate on death row
, convicted of raping and murdering 15-year-old Ann Harrison after abducting her from a school bus stop in Raytown, Missouri
on March 22, 1989. Taylor was aided by Roderick Nunley, also currently on Missouri's death row for the same crime. Taylor and Nunley, by their own admissions in court, were under the influence of crack cocaine at the time of the crime.
Taylor was scheduled to be executed February 1, 2006, but was granted a stay of execution
by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
. The stay was issued on the grounds that lethal injection
in Taylor's case could be cruel and unusual punishment
. Missouri asked the Supreme Court
to vacate the stay, allowing the execution. Justice Samuel Alito
, in his first official act on the Supreme Court, voted with the majority (6-3) to refuse Missouri
's request. Alito's vote made headlines because he did not vote with Justices Antonin Scalia
, Clarence Thomas
and Chief Justice John Roberts
, said to be the conservative
wing of the court.
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
prison inmate on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
, convicted of raping and murdering 15-year-old Ann Harrison after abducting her from a school bus stop in Raytown, Missouri
Raytown, Missouri
Raytown is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States, and is a suburb of Kansas City. The population was at 29,526 in 2010 census. The mayor of Raytown is David Bower.-History:...
on March 22, 1989. Taylor was aided by Roderick Nunley, also currently on Missouri's death row for the same crime. Taylor and Nunley, by their own admissions in court, were under the influence of crack cocaine at the time of the crime.
Taylor was scheduled to be executed February 1, 2006, but was granted a stay of execution
Stay of execution
A stay of execution is a court order to temporarily suspend the execution of a court judgment or other court order. The word "execution" does not necessarily mean the death penalty; it refers to the imposition of whatever judgment is being stayed....
by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Arkansas* Western District of Arkansas...
. The stay was issued on the grounds that lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
in Taylor's case could be cruel and unusual punishment
Cruel and unusual punishment
Cruel and unusual punishment is a phrase describing criminal punishment which is considered unacceptable due to the suffering or humiliation it inflicts on the condemned person...
. Missouri asked the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
to vacate the stay, allowing the execution. Justice Samuel Alito
Samuel Alito
Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. is an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and has served on the court since January 31, 2006....
, in his first official act on the Supreme Court, voted with the majority (6-3) to refuse Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
's request. Alito's vote made headlines because he did not vote with Justices Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Gregory Scalia is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. As the longest-serving justice on the Court, Scalia is the Senior Associate Justice...
, Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
and Chief Justice John Roberts
John Roberts
John Glover Roberts, Jr. is the 17th and current Chief Justice of the United States. He has served since 2005, having been nominated by President George W. Bush after the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist...
, said to be the conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
wing of the court.
External links
- State of Missouri v. Michael Taylor. Missourinet. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- State of Missouri v. Roderick Nunley. Missourinet. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- StLToday.com. StLToday. Retrieved on 2010-8-19.