What do we learn about Justice Blackmun on this issue, especially from his role in Callins v. Collins, and what do we learn about the dilemmas that judges sometime face in putting aside personal beliefs and trying to be objective in how they approach the issues that arise in the cases they need to decide?

Capital punishment in the United States is one of the important political and legal issues discussed in Becoming Justice Blackmun. Justice Blackmun evolution on this issue begins with his dissenting opinion in Furman v, Georgia (Links to an external site.), a 1972 decision discussed in detail in the book. Read Blackmun’s dissent in the Furman case. It’s a classic example of a justice who is attempting to reconcile his personal opinion about a controversial issue, the death penalty, with his view of what his role should be as a judge. Use this discussion forum to examine Blackmun’s evolution on this issue from Furman to Callins v. Collins, also discussed in detail in the book. What do we learn about Justice Blackmun on this issue, especially from his role in Callins v. Collins, and what do we learn about the dilemmas that judges sometime face in putting aside personal beliefs and trying to be objective in how they approach the issues that arise in the cases they need to decide?

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