 The opinion, written by Justice Breyer, made it clear that shackling a defendant during the sentencing portion of a trial does violate the fifth, sixth, eight, and fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution.The Supreme Court held that unless the shackling pertains to a specific defendant for specific state interests, the Constitution forbids the shackling of a defendant in the sentencing phase (as well as the guilt phase) of a trial.How the Supreme Court came to its conclusion