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What's up with all the SCOTUS capital case cert grants from the Sixth Circuit?

By Douglas A. Berman

There are lots of interesting issues to be mined from the group of criminal cases that the Supreme Court accepted for review today (basic details here).  But among the stories lurking therein is the Justices' continuing interest in capital cases from the Sixth Circuit. Notably (and largely to my delight in light of my recent scholarly kvetching about the Supreme Court taking too many capital cases), the Justices have not taken up very many death penalty cases recently.  Of course, last Term brought a capital case cornucopia, with the blockbuster Baze and Kennedy and Medellinrulings.  But, since then, the Justices have decided to consider only a precious few capital cases (despite a slowly growing docket).  And, intriguingly (and coincidentally?), all of the capital cases before the Court this Term arise via habeas rulings coming from the Sixth Circuit: Cone v...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on February 23, 2009 (boomark / email).