Changes

The Eighth Amendment is almost identical to a provision in the English Bill of Rights of 1689, in which [[Parliament]] declared, "as their ancestors in like cases have usually done...that excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.constitution.org/eng/eng_bor.htm|title=English Bill of Rights of 1689|work=constitution.org|accessdate=January 9, 2015}}</ref>  Virginia adopted this provision of the English Bill of Rights in the Virginia Declaration of Rights of 1776.

The Eighth Amendment is almost identical to a provision in the English Bill of Rights of 1689, in which [[Parliament]] declared, "as their ancestors in like cases have usually done...that excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.constitution.org/eng/eng_bor.htm|title=English Bill of Rights of 1689|work=constitution.org|accessdate=January 9, 2015}}</ref>  Virginia adopted this provision of the English Bill of Rights in the Virginia Declaration of Rights of 1776.

Since the ratification of the Eighth Amendment on December 15, 1791, it has been interpreted by a large number of court cases. The [[Supreme Court]] in ''[[Robinson v. California]]'', 370 U.S. 660 (1962), applied the Eighth Amendment to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. Robinson was the first case in which the Supreme Court applied the Eighth Amendment against the state governments through the [[Fourteenth Amendment]]. Before ''Robinson'', the Eighth Amendment had only been applied against the federal government.<ref>Federman, Cary. The Body and the State: [[Habeas Corpus]] and American Jurisprudence, page 99 (SUNY Press 2006).</ref>

Since the ratification of the Eighth Amendment on December 15, 1791, it has been interpreted by a large number of court cases. The [[Supreme Court]] in ''[[Robinson v. California]]'', 370 U.S. 660 (1962), applied the Eighth Amendment to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. Robinson was the first case in which the Supreme Court applied the Eighth Amendment against the state governments through the [[Fourteenth Amendment]]. Before ''Robinson'', the Eighth Amendment had only been applied against the federal government.<ref>Federman, Cary. The Body and the State: [[Habeas corpus]] and American Jurisprudence, page 99 (SUNY Press 2006).</ref>

==References==

==References==