Campbell v. Blodgett
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
982 F.2d 1356 (1993)

- Written by Laura Julien, JD
Facts
Charles Campbell (plaintiff) was a prisoner on death row in the state of Washington. Campbell filed a motion for leave to videotape the execution of another prisoner who was sentenced to death by hanging in order to preserve evidence in support of his claim that death by hanging constituted cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution. James Blodgett (defendant), the prison superintendent, had previously denied Campbell’s request. The district court denied Campbell’s motion, holding that the evidentiary value of the videotape was limited and the infringement on the privacy interest of the prisoner being executed was high. Specifically, the district court determined that the videotape’s relevance was limited because Campbell did not clearly identify any specific information that the videotape would provide that would support his claim at the evidentiary hearing. The district court also raised the concern that the videotape of the execution could be leaked to the public. Campbell filed an appeal.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning ()
Dissent (Reinhardt, J.)
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