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Justice very delayed in a capital case leads to a reprimand

By Douglas A. Berman

Anyone who wonders why some capital cases take sooooo long to make their way though the various layers of appeals available to capital defendants should be sure to check out this local article.  Here are snippets: A Shelby County Criminal Court judge was publicly reprimanded today for taking more than seven years to rule on an appeal in a death penalty case. The Tennessee Court of the Judiciary issued the reprimand against Judge Carolyn Wade Blackett, citing state laws that require the appeal ? called a petition for post-conviction relief ? to be handled within one year of its filing and ruled on within 60 days after the petition has been heard. The petition of Perry Cribbs was filed April 13, 1998, but Blackett did not enter her ruling for seven years, five months and 21 days.continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on April 17, 2009 (boomark / email).