The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in Roper v. Simmons, a case that will decide the constitutionality of executing people who were under 18 at the time of their crimes. There are 71 Death Row inmates in the U.S. who committed murder as teens. (check out this graphic from the Dallas Morning News.)

We're in good company. The only other countries that execute offenders who were juveniles at the time of their crime are Iran, Iran, Pakistan, China and Saudi Arabia.;

In 1988 and 1989, when the Court last considered the issue, it ruled that states could not execute those younger than 16 when they commit murder, but concluded there was no national consensus against executing juveniles who are 16 or 17. [Note, that the issue revolves around the age at which the crime was committed, not age at the time of execution.] Here are some of the most recent news articles examining the case and issue:

Chicago Tribune: 4 of 9 Justices call for end to executing Juveniles.

Two justices who voted to strike down the death penalty for the retarded--Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy--may be the most likely to provide additional votes for outlawing juvenile executions.