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Death Qualification

By Michael Blankenship

NASHVILLE (WATE) -- Death penalty questions in Nashville Thursday brought out tears and hedging from the jury pool for the first trial of suspects accused of killing Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. Attorneys for both sides continue questioning potential jurors in Davidson County for the trial of Letalvis Cobbins. Several potential jurors were dismissed Thursday morning because they're strongly opposed to the death penalty. One woman quoted the Bible during questioning, saying "it's not our place, it's God's place."Read more...The process described in this article is termed "death qualification." During jury selection, potential members are questioned about their death penalty beliefs. The U.S. Supreme Court held that jurors who are opposed to the death penalty can be excluded (Witherspoon v...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Justice Gambit on August 14, 2009 (boomark / email).