Constitutional Law

Supreme Court Declines Review of Georgia Death Penalty Case

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the death sentence of Troy Anthony Davis, a Georgia man convicted of killing a police officer. The high court had blocked the execution on Sept. 23, but today decided not to hear an appeal in Davis v. Georgia. The Associated Press reported that the justices’ decision clears the way for Davis’ execution. In a guest blog post for ACS, former FBI Director William S. Sessions argued that the high court should block the execution, citing the large number of witnesses who have recanted their original testimony against Davis and the poor quality of representation Davis received at trial. The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in six cases this week, including Bartlett v. Strickland, a case dealing with whether a racial minority group that makes up less than 50 percent of a proposed legislative district can bring a vote dilution claim under Sec. 2 of the Voting Rights Act. See Scotusblog for more analysis of Strickland.  

Full post as published by ACS Blog on October 14, 2008 (boomark / email).