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Criminal Law

StandDown Texas Project

Texas-centric examination of conditions, reform initiatives, and emerging issues related to best practices in the indigent criminal justice system with particular attention to issues involving capital punishment and the administration of the death penalty.
By StandDown Texas Project

Post Frequency: 49.3/day

Last Entry: April 01, 2011 at 14:21:29

As Jurors Turn to Web, Mistrials Are Popping Up

Posted on March 18, 2009
That's the title of an article in today's New York Times by John Schwartz. LINK Here's an extended excerpt: Last week, a juror in a big federal drug trial in Florida admitted to the judge that he had been doing...

New Mexico Governor Signs Death Penalty Repeal Into Law

Posted on March 18, 2009
Governor Bill Richardson has just held a news conference signing the measure into law. "Richardson signs death penalty ban," is via the Santa Fe New Mexican. 6:09 p.m. Richardson announces he will sign death penalty repeal. Calls system "inherently defective...

In West Virginia

Posted on March 17, 2009
West Virginia does not have capital punishment. West Virginia Public Broadcasting today reports, "Death penalty fails in House." A Republican delegate failed in his back-door attempt to pass the death penalty in West Virginia. Now serving his 25th successive year...

Death Penalty Bill Faulty, Md. Attorney General Says

Posted on March 17, 2009
That's the headline of the Washington Post article today, subtitled, "Gansler Criticizes Limits on Evidence." It's written by John Wagner and Henri Cauvin. Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D) said yesterday that although he supports the aims of a...

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In New Mexico

Posted on March 17, 2009
"Richardson weighing death penalty repeal in New Mexico," is the AP report via the Dallas Morning News. Gov. Bill Richardson has been flooded with e-mail and callers offering their views on whether he should sign legislation to abolish the death...

Kansas Senate Returns Repeal Bill to Committee

Posted on March 17, 2009
"Kansas Senate sends death penalty bill back to committee," is Jeannine Koranda's report in today's Wichita Eagle. A bill to abolish the death penalty faces an uncertain future after three hours of Senate debate Monday. Senators sent the bill for...

More Reviews of 'A Saint on Death Row'

Posted on March 16, 2009
Freelance journalist Steve Weinberg has reviews of Thomas Cahill's A Saint on Death Row: The Story of Dominique Green in the Sunday editions of the Dallas Morning News and Florida's St. Petersburg Times. "'A Saint on Death Row' by Thomas...

Death Penalty Reform

Posted on March 16, 2009
That's the title of an editorial in the Saturday edition of the Dallas Morning News. LINK A convicted capital murderer in Texas is sentenced to death in open court, face to face with judge and jury. They typically are the...

Coverage of the New Mexico Repeal Vote

Posted on March 16, 2009
"Senate backs death-penalty repeal," is Steve Terrell's report in the Saturday edition of the Santa Fe New Mexican. Friday's decisive state Senate vote to repeal the death penalty in New Mexico was a direct result of November's election of several...

Kansas Repeal Debate Today

Posted on March 16, 2009
The Kansas Senate is scheduled to convene this afternoon at 2:30 pm (CDT) and Senate Bill 208 is on the calendar. You should be able to listen to a webcast of the Senate debate at this LINK. It also appears...

New Mexico Senate Approves HB 285

Posted on March 13, 2009
The Senate approved the measure on a vote of 24 yes, 18 no. HB 285 would replace the state's death penalty with a sentence of life in prison. More legislative information on the bill is here. StandDown's earlier coverage of...

Update From the New Mexico Senate

Posted on March 13, 2009
The debate on the Senate floor is still continuing. Steve Terrell has linked to the Santa Fe Reporter / New Mexico Independent webcast of the Senate at his Roundhouse Roundup blog. The Santa Fe Reporter / New Mexico Independent live...

'Blecker' Deftly Stands Alone On Both Sides Of Death Penalty

Posted on March 13, 2009
That's the title of Hank Stuever's review of, "Robert Blecker Wants Me Dead," in the Washington Post. LINK "Robert Blecker Wants Me Dead" wants to be a documentary about the vast amount of wiggle room between being for the death...

32 Years on Death Row

Posted on March 13, 2009
That's the title of David Fathi's post today at Huffington Post. LINK When William Lee Thompson committed the murder that landed him on Florida's death row, Gerald Ford was president. Thompson has now been incarcerated for almost 33 years, most...

HB 285 on New Mexico Senate Floor

Posted on March 13, 2009
The Santa Fe Reporter / New Mexico Independent is live blogging the session,right now, with video.

New Hampshire Legislation

Posted on March 13, 2009
"Death penalty may get special study," is Lauren Dorgan's report in today's Concord Monitor. New Hampshire's death penalty law should be studied by a special commission, a House committee recommended yesterday. The same committee voted against repealing the death penalty...

Death Penalty Restricted

Posted on March 13, 2009
That's the title of an OpEd by Maryland State Senator Ron Dyson at Southern Maryland Online. LINK Maryland is one of 36 states with a death penalty. This year, legislation to repeal the death penalty is being considered in Maryland...

An Update From Washington State

Posted on March 13, 2009
This morning's scheduled execution in Washington state was stayed by the state Supreme Court, as noted in this Seattle Times report. The state Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the execution of Cal Coburn Brown less than eight hours before he...

Opinion Roundup

Posted on March 13, 2009
There are OpEd today from California, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Let's begin with "What price vengeance?" in today's San Francisco Chronicle. It's written by victims' liaison Judy Kerr. My heart goes out to Chandra Levy's parents, Robert and Susan, who have...

The New Mexico Senate Session

Posted on March 13, 2009
The Senate proceedings are not webcast, however, the Santa Fe Reporter / New Mexico Independent is live blogging today's session. Santa Fe New Mexican Capitol Correspondent Steve Terrell has his Roundhouse Roundup blog, but there is no word on how...

Public Debate Continues in Kansas

Posted on March 13, 2009
"Kansas attorney general opposes plan to abolish death penalty," is David Klepper's report for the Kansas City Star. Backed by the loved ones of murder victims, Kansas Attorney General Steve Six urged state lawmakers Thursday to vote down an effort...

Controversial Utah Measure Fails

Posted on March 13, 2009
The measure to limit death penalty appeals, criticized by the state's judiciary and editorial boards, had been put forth by Utah's attorney general. "Death penalty appeals amendment fails in Utah House," is today's Salt Lake Tribune's report by Sheena Mcfarland...

New Mexico Repeal Vote Today

Posted on March 13, 2009
House Bill 285 is item 43 on today's New Mexico Senate Calendar. The body is set to convene at 10:00 am (MDT). In the Santa Fe New Mexican, Steve Terrell reports, "Death-penalty debate: Decades of doubt." It includes a lengthy...

Saving Lives and Money

Posted on March 13, 2009
That's the title of an article in the current edition of the Economist. It's subtitled, "States plagued by fiscal woes rethink their stance on the death penalty." AN EYE for an eye, or at any rate a death for a...

Reminder - Thomas Cahill in Houston Tonight

Posted on March 12, 2009
Thomas Cahill, the best-selling author of A Saint on Death Row: The Story of Dominique Green, is in Houston tonight at an author event at the Rothko Chapel. Thursday, March 12, 7 p.m. Kindness and Courage on Death Row Thomas...

Judge Keller and Her Attorney

Posted on March 12, 2009
"Appeals Judge Sharon Keller faces another challenge," is Dianne Jennings post on the Dallas Morning News crime blog. Challenges to Judge Sharon Keller on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals are mounting. You'll need a scorecard for this one, but...

In California

Posted on March 12, 2009
"AG Brown says he'll follow law on the death peanlty," is the AP report by Don Thompson, via the San Jose Mercury News. Attorney General Jerry Brown said Wednesday he understands that California's support for the death penalty is now...

With Rare Execution Hours Away, A Debate in Washington State

Posted on March 12, 2009
Washington state's last execution was in 2001. It has carried out four post-Furman executions. But an execution scheduled to be carried out shortly midnight has brought the death penalty debate to the surface. "Clock ticks down to Brown's execution after...

Crunch Time in New Mexico

Posted on March 12, 2009
The Texas Legislature is nearing the middle of its 140 biennial session, but New Mexico lawmakers are in the final days of their 60 day session. KRQE-TV has, "Ethics vs. death penalty at Capitol." A Republican senator pressing ethics reform...

Arkansas Legislation

Posted on March 12, 2009
"Bill on executions heads to Senate" by Charlie Frago and Michael Wickline is in today's Arkansas Democrat Gazette. The Arkansas House of Representatives approved legislation Wednesday that will likely speed the resumption of at least one execution in the state...

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