Punishing a person for a medical condition is a violation of the Eighth Amendment. The protection from cruel and unusual punishment is incorporated against the states. Decided June 25, 1962 (argued April 17, 1962). Opinion of the Court: Potter Stewart → go there Dissenting: Clark, White. Applied: the Eighth Amendment → go there Applied: the Fourteenth Amendment → go there Topic: Other areas. Robinson v. California, 370 U.S. 660 (1962), is the first landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court in which the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution was interpreted to prohibit particular acts or conduct, as contrasted with prohibiting the use of a particular form of punishment for a crime. In Robinson, the Court struck down a California law that criminalized being addicted to narcotics. Wiki link