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What is the AEDPA and what effect has it had on death row litigants' ability to file collateral attacks?

A. Allows unlimited collateral attacks
B. Restricts death row litigants from filing multiple attacks
C. Does not affect death row litigants' ability to file attacks
D. Expedites the process for death row litigants

User Symbool
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Final answer:

The AEDPA restricts death row litigants' ability to file multiple collateral attacks, imposing a one-year time limit on habeas petitions and limiting successive petitions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The AEDPA, or the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, has had a significant effect on death row litigants' ability to file collateral attacks. The act was designed to streamline the appellate process in death penalty cases to make it more efficient and to limit frivolous appeals. One of its most notable effects is the restriction it places on the number of habeas corpus petitions a prisoner can file. More specifically, the AEDPA imposes a one-year time limit on filing a federal habeas corpus petition following a state court conviction and restricts successive petitions unless new evidence is uncovered or there is a new rule of constitutional law.

Therefore, the correct answer to the question is B. Restricts death row litigants from filing multiple attacks.

In light of this legislation, the Supreme Court's stance has been nuanced regarding the death penalty and constitutional rights. For instance, the Court has ruled that individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their crime cannot be executed, evidencing the careful balance the Court strives to maintain between societal interests and individual rights.

User Julio Daniel Reyes
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