Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

E52940

amendment to the United States Constitution constitutional amendment provision of the United States Bill of Rights

The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution is a key provision in the Bill of Rights that protects individuals from excessive bail and fines, as well as from cruel and unusual punishments, and serves as a central basis for challenges to the death penalty and prison conditions.

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All labels observed (11)

Label	Occurrences
Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution canonical	59
Eighth Amendment	17
Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause	1
Eighth Amendment Excessive Fines Clause is incorporated against the states through the Fourteenth Amendment	1
Eighth Amendment cruel and unusual punishment	1
Eighth Amendment prohibition of cruel and unusual punishments	1
Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution	1
Excessive Bail Clause	1
Excessive Fines Clause	1
The Eighth Amendment is violated by prison officials' use of force only when force is applied maliciously and sadistically for the very purpose of causing harm.	1
The Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause is incorporated against the states under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T417917 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Context triple: [Furman v. Georgia, constitutionalProvision, Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution]

A. Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution is a key component of the Bill of Rights that protects individuals against self-incrimination, double jeopardy, and deprivation of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
B. Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution is a provision in the Bill of Rights that affirms the existence of fundamental rights retained by the people that are not specifically enumerated in the Constitution.
C. Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government, requiring warrants to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause.
D. Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment is a key post–Civil War addition to the U.S. Constitution that guarantees citizenship, due process, and equal protection under the law, forming the foundation of many modern civil rights protections.
E. Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution is a 1795 amendment that limits the ability of individuals to bring suits against states in federal court, reinforcing the principle of state sovereign immunity.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Target entity description: The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution is a key provision in the Bill of Rights that protects individuals from excessive bail and fines, as well as from cruel and unusual punishments, and serves as a central basis for challenges to the death penalty and prison conditions.

A. Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution is a key component of the Bill of Rights that protects individuals against self-incrimination, double jeopardy, and deprivation of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
B. Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution is a provision in the Bill of Rights that affirms the existence of fundamental rights retained by the people that are not specifically enumerated in the Constitution.
C. Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government, requiring warrants to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause.
D. Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment is a key post–Civil War addition to the U.S. Constitution that guarantees citizenship, due process, and equal protection under the law, forming the foundation of many modern civil rights protections.
E. Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution is a 1795 amendment that limits the ability of individuals to bring suits against states in federal court, reinforcing the principle of state sovereign immunity.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (54)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ constitutional amendment ⓘ provision of the United States Bill of Rights ⓘ
adoptedBy	United States Congress ⓘ
appliesTo	criminal defendants ⓘ persons convicted of crimes ⓘ pretrial detainees ⓘ
author	James Madison ⓘ
bindingOn	federal government of the United States ⓘ linked to: United States government
centralIssueInCase	Atkins v. Virginia ⓘ Estelle v. Gamble ⓘ Furman v. Georgia ⓘ Graham v. Florida ⓘ Gregg v. Georgia ⓘ Hudson v. McMillian ⓘ Miller v. Alabama ⓘ Roper v. Simmons ⓘ Timbs v. Indiana ⓘ Trop v. Dulles ⓘ
constitutionalOrder	Eighth ⓘ
containsClause	Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause ⓘ linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution Excessive Bail Clause ⓘ linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution Excessive Fines Clause ⓘ linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
country	United States of America ⓘ
doctrine	evolving standards of decency ⓘ
effectiveDate	December 15, 1791 ⓘ
incorporatedAgainst	state governments of the United States ⓘ
incorporatedThrough	Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ linked to: Fourteenth Amendment
inspiredBy	English Bill of Rights of 1689 ⓘ linked to: English Bill of Rights
interpretedBy	Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ
isPartOfSeries	first ten amendments to the United States Constitution ⓘ linked to: Bill of Rights
jurisdiction	United States federal government ⓘ linked to: United States government
language	English ⓘ
legalDomain	constitutional law ⓘ criminal law ⓘ human rights law ⓘ
limits	conditions of confinement in prisons and jails ⓘ length of certain criminal sentences ⓘ methods of execution ⓘ
partOf	Bill of Rights ⓘ United States Constitution ⓘ
proposed	1789 ⓘ
protectsAgainst	cruel and unusual punishments ⓘ excessive bail ⓘ excessive fines ⓘ
ratified	1791 ⓘ
ratifiedBy	the states of the United States ⓘ
relatedTo	capital punishment in the United States ⓘ prisoners' rights in the United States ⓘ
text	Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. ⓘ
usedFor	challenges to excessive bail determinations ⓘ challenges to excessive fines and forfeitures ⓘ challenges to prison conditions ⓘ challenges to the death penalty ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (85)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Furman v. Georgia → constitutionalProvision → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Bill of Rights → containsAmendment → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

First United States Congress → proposedAmendment → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Virginia Declaration of Rights → influenced → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

United States constitutional amendments → includes → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution → ratifiedWith → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

subject linked to: U.S. Constitution, Sixth Amendment

Jackson v. Georgia → legalSubject → Eighth Amendment ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Jackson v. Georgia → constitutionalProvisionInvolved → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution → containsClause → Excessive Bail Clause ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution → containsClause → Excessive Fines Clause ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution → containsClause → Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Branch v. Texas → legalSubject → Eighth Amendment ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Branch v. Texas → constitutionalProvision → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Gregg v. Georgia → interpretsProvision → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution → precedes → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

William Henry Furman → legalIssue → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

opinion in Atkins v. Virginia → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act → relatedTo → Eighth Amendment ⓘ

subject linked to: CRIPA

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Glossip v. Gross → legalIssue → Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Glossip v. Gross → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Eighth Amendment ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Timbs v. Indiana → holding → The Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause is incorporated against the states under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Timbs v. Indiana → legalIssue → Eighth Amendment ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Timbs v. Indiana → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Trop v. Dulles → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Atkins v. Virginia → constitutionalProvision → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Roper v. Simmons → constitutionalProvision → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Graham v. Florida → legalIssue → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Graham v. Florida → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Eighth Amendment ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Hudson v. McMillian → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Estelle v. Gamble → legalIssue → Eighth Amendment ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Estelle v. Gamble → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Jurek v. Texas → legalSubject → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Jurek v. Texas → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Eighth Amendment ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Miller v. Alabama → constitutionalProvision → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Stack v. Boyle → legalIssue → Eighth Amendment ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Stack v. Boyle → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Proffitt v. Florida → constitutionalProvision → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Woodson v. North Carolina → constitutionalProvision → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Roberts v. Louisiana → legalSubject → Eighth Amendment ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Roberts v. Louisiana → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Lockett v. Ohio → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

McCleskey v. Kemp → legalIssue → Eighth Amendment ⓘ

linked to: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

McCleskey v. Kemp → constitutionalProvision → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Troy Leon Gregg → linkedToIssue → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Coker v. Georgia → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42 (1988) → constitutionalProvisionInvolved → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Ingraham v. Wright → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Indiana Constitution Article 1 Section 15 → relatedTo → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Indiana Constitution Article 1 Section 16 → inspiredBy → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

Penry v. Lynaugh → constitutionalProvisionInterpreted → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ

All labels observed (11)

How this entity was disambiguated Show

Statements (54)

How these facts were elicited Show

Referenced by (85)

How this entity was disambiguated

How these facts were elicited