55 years for drug dealing

I had talked some time ago about the case of a first-time drug dealer facing a huge sentence because of mandatory minimums.
TalkLeft has the news that the sentence was finally, reluctantly given by Judge Paul Cassell — 55 years.

The judge then urged Mr. Angelos’s lawyer, Jerome H. Mooney, not only to appeal his decision but to ask President Bush for clemency once all appeals were exhausted. He also urged Congress to set aside the law that made the sentence mandatory.

What happened to the constitution’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment?