Strickland v. Washington

Holding an "error by counsel" doesn't "warrant setting aside the judgment of a criminal proceeding" where in the context of the whole proceeding the identified error "had no effect on the judgment"

Apprendi v. New Jersey

Holding that “[o]ther than the fact of a prior conviction, any fact that increases the penalty for a crime beyond the prescribed statutory maximum must be submitted to a jury, and proved beyond a reasonable doubt”

Blakely v. Washington

Holding that “[w]hen a judge inflicts punishment that the jury's verdict alone does not allow, the jury has not found all the facts ‘which the law makes essential to the punishment,’ and the judge exceeds his proper authority”

Jackson v. Virginia

Holding that courts conducting review of the sufficiency of the evidence to support a criminal conviction should view the "evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution"

Wiggins v. Smith

Holding that counsel's performance was deficient when they failed to expand their investigation into the defendant's life history "after having acquired only rudimentary knowledge of his history from a narrow set of sources," especially when those sources indicated the existence of helpful mitigation evidence

Miranda v. Arizona

Holding that statements obtained by custodial interrogation of a criminal defendant without warning of constitutional rights are inadmissible under the Fifth Amendment

Cunningham v. California

Holding that the "jury-trial guarantee proscribes a sentencing scheme that allows a judge to impose a sentence above the statutory maximum based on a fact, other than a prior conviction, not found by the jury or admitted by the defendant"

Ring v. Arizona

Holding that “[i]f a State makes an increase in a defendant's authorized punishment contingent on the finding of a fact, that fact—no matter how the State labels it—must be found by a jury beyond a reasonable doubt”

Roper v. Simmons

Holding "that the death penalty cannot be imposed upon juvenile offenders"

Chapman v. California

Holding that error is harmless only if "harmless beyond a reasonable doubt"

Section 187 - Murder

Defining murder as "the unlawful killing of a human being . . . with malice aforethought."

Section 12022 - Armed with firearm in commission of felony or attempted felony; use of deadly or dangerous weapon in commission of felony or attempted felony

Arming of firearm in commission of a felony

Section 12022.5 - Personal use of firearm in commission of felony or attempted felony

Providing for sentence enhancement

Section 189 - Murder of the first degree

Providing that malice may be express or implied – with implied malice being, e.g. , "when the circumstances attending the killing show an abandoned and malignant heart"

Section 190.2 - Penalty for defendant found guilty of first-degree murder with special circumstance

Prescribing penalty of death or LWOP for special circumstance murder

Section 192 - Manslaughter

Recognizing the Watson murder theory

Section 15

Affording “the right ... to compel attendance of witnesses in the defendant's behalf”

Section 207 - Kidnapping

Kidnaping a child for purposes of committing a lewd act

Section 28

Granting crime victims the right "[t]o reasonable notice of all public proceedings, including delinquency proceedings, upon request, at which the defendant and the prosecutor are entitled to be present"

Section 7

Guaranteeing due process and equal protection

Rule 4.420 - Selection of term of imprisonment for offense

Rule 8.630 - Briefs by parties and amicus curiae