Supreme Court To Decide On Executing Juveniles

Just two years after banning the death penalty for mentally retarded killers, the Supreme Court announced yesterday it will decide whether the execution of juveniles who commit murder also violates the Constitution.

The controversial issue already has deeply divided the court, which in 1989 upheld executions of those who were 16 and 17 years old at the time of their offenses. It refused to rethink that position in 2002, even though four justices called for "an end to this shameful practice" and said such executions were a "relic of the past."