Ingraham v. Wright

The 1977 case of Ingraham v. Wright is mostly cited for its ruling on the applicability of the Eighth Amendment's Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause to corporal punishment in public schools. The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments be inflicted.”

In Ingraham, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed two main issues: whether the use of corporal punishment violates the Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause; and if so, whether the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment requires that prior notice and an opportunity to be heard must be afforded students before corporal punishment is imposed. In Ingraham, students in Florida challenged the constitutionality of the corporal punishment at their school under ...