Tap, pinch, pull? Supreme Court says minimal force can raise minimum sentence for 'violent' criminal
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court issued its first closely divided ruling of the 2018-19 term Tuesday, but not along strict ideological lines.
Associate Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the 5-4 decision, in which the court upheld a heavy criminal sentence for a defendant whose robbery conviction included the potential of force. Associate Justice Stephen Breyer joined four conservatives in the majority.
Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the dissent, which Chief Justice John Roberts joined. She belittled the majority's definition of force with a reference to her own recent shoulder replacement surgery.
"As any first-year torts student (or person with a shoulder injury) quickly learns, even a tap on the shoulder is 'capable of causing physical pain or injury' in certain cases," she said.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/tap-pinch-pull-supreme-court-says-minimal-force-can-raise-minimum-sentence-for-violent-criminals/ar-BBShUcO?li=BBnbcA1
RW snowflakes.
