Friend-of-the-court briefs were filed by 48 nations, in which they told the Supreme Court that executing juveniles violates human rights standards. Among the countries filing were the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and Canada. Nine Nobel Peace Prize winners also filed briefs saying juveniles should not be executed. Among them: former President Jimmy Carter, former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, the Dalai Lama and former Polish president Lech Walesa. Many major religious groups, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Presbyterian Church, the United Methodist Church and several Jewish organizations, filed briefs saying minors should not be put to death. The American Psychological Association cites research and says juvenile executions are "cruel and unusual" punishment and are a violation of the Eighth Amendment. A total of 108 other organizations and eight state attorneys general (Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and West Virginia) similarly filed briefs siding with Simmons.