Kahler v. Kansas
Issues
Does abolishing the insanity defense violate the Eighth or Fourteenth Amendments?
This case asks the Supreme Court to balance states’ rights to write their own criminal code with individual rights under the Due Process Clause and the Eighth Amendment. The statute at issue, Kan. Stat. Ann. § 22-3220, abolished the traditional right-and-wrong test for the insanity defense in favor of a mens rea approach to insanity. Kahler argues that history and tradition demonstrate that the right-and-wrong test for insanity is a fundamental right under the Due Process Clause. He also contends that disallowing this test essentially abolishes the insanity defense, which is cruel and unusual because it punishes individuals who lack moral culpability for their crimes. Kansas counters that the right-and-wrong test for insanity is not a fundamental right because it is not deeply entrenched in tradition, and that disallowing the defense would not have been deemed cruel and unusual when the Eighth Amendment was adopted. The outcome of this case has heavy implications for states’ authority over their own criminal code, just punishment, and protecting individuals who lack moral culpability.
Questions as Framed for the Court by the Parties
Whether the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments permit a state to abolish the insanity defense.
James Kahler and his wife, Karen, had two daughters and one son. State v. Kahler at 113. During the summer of 2008, Karen began a sexual relationship with another female, and their marriage soon began to fall apart. Id. Ultimately, Karen filed for divorce in January 2009 and moved out with their kids that Spring. Id. Kahler did not handle the divorce well, and it affected his life, both professionally and personally.
Edited by
The authors would like to thank Professor Stephen P. Garvey for his guidance and insights into this case.
Additional Resources
- Garrett Epps, Sometimes the Supreme Court Sticks to the Law, The Atlantic (Mar. 20, 2019).
- Larry M. Elkin, The Rational Approach to the Insanity Defense, Palisades Hudson Financial Group LLC (Mar. 22, 2019).
- Nick Viviani, Kansas Quadruple Killer’s SCOTUS Appeal Could Change Insanity Defenses Nationwide, WIBW (Mar. 19, 2019).
- Roxana Hegeman, Kansas Death Penalty Case has Implications for Mentally Ill, The Associated Press (Mar. 23, 2019).