United States v. Booker

Holding the Sentencing Guidelines are advisory

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”

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”

Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc.

Holding that mental disability is not a quasi-suspect class

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"

Atkins v. Virginia

Holding that it violates the Eighth Amendment to execute intellectually disabled defendants

Panetti v. Quarterman

Holding that a petition raising a previously unripe claim of incompetency was not a second or successive petition under AEDPA

Gregg v. Georgia

Holding that "accurate sentencing information is an indispensable prerequisite to a reasoned determination of whether a defendant shall live or die"

Section 187 - Murder

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

Section 245 - Assault with deadly weapon or instrument other than firearm; assault with firearm; assault with machinegun; assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury; assault with semiautomatic firearm

Prohibiting an assault by "any means of force likely to produce great bodily injury"

Section 12022.53 - Personal use of firearm during commission of specified felonies

Providing for an enhancement to any person who, in the commission of attempted murder, "personally and intentionally discharges a firearm and proximately causes great bodily injury, . . . , or death, to any person other than an accomplice."

Section 12022.7 - Persona infliction of great bodily injury on person other than accomplice in commission of felony or attempted felony

Adopting section 13700's definition of domestic violence

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

Providing for sentence enhancement

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 246 - Unlawful discharge of firearm at inhabited dwelling house, occupied building, occupied motor vehicle, occupied aircraft, inhabited housecar, or inhabited camper

Shooting of an occupied vehicle

Section 1368 - Doubt about mental competence of defendant during pendency of action

Requiring a court to appoint an attorney for a defendant in a criminal case if a doubt arises in the mind of the judge as to the defendant's mental competence

Section 1026 - Plea of not guilty by reason of insanity joined with another plea

Authorizing a person who has been committed to a state facility upon a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity to apply for release in the superior court that issued the commitment order

Section 190.3 - Death penalty for defendant found guilty of first degree murder with special circumstance

Providing that, "[i]n determining the penalty, the trier of fact shall take into account" any relevant listed factors

Rule 8.630 - Briefs by parties and amicus curiae