"A closely divided Supreme Court outlawed the death penalty for juvenile criminals on Tuesday, declaring there was a national consensus such executions were unconstitutionally cruel and ending a practice that had brought international condemnation.
....
The United States has stood almost alone in the world in officially sanctioning juvenile executions, a 'stark reality' that can't be ignored, [Justice] Kennedy wrote. Juvenile offenders have been put to death in recent years in only a few other countries, including Iran, Pakistan, China and Saudi Arabia.

'It is proper that we acknowledge the overwhelming weight of international opinion against the juvenile death penalty, resting in large part on the understanding that the instability and emotional imbalance of young people may often be a factor in the crime,' Kennedy wrote."

"In an angry dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia disputed that a 'national consensus' exists and said the majority opinion was based on the 'flimsiest of grounds.' The appropriateness of capital punishment should be determined by individual states, not 'the subjective views of five members of this court and like-minded foreigners,' he wrote."

"Dianne Clements, president of the Houston-based Justice for All victims' advocacy group, criticized the decision and said she hopes that when there is a Supreme Court vacancy a strong death penalty supporter is nominated.

'The Supreme Court has opened the door for more innocent people to suffer by 16- and 17-year-olds,' she said. 'I can't wait for the Supreme Court to have judges more concerned with American values, American statutes and American law than what the Europeans think.'"