State of Utah v. Simmons and State of Utah v. Gardner Death (1997)

Death Penalty - In late 1995, the ACLU of Utah filed Amicus Briefs regarding a 1974 Utah law which stated that a prison inmate could be charged with a capital offense if he or she committed an assault while incarcerated for a first degree felony. In a 1997 decision, the Utah Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional.