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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

The FDA and Lethal Injection Drugs

Posted on January 05, 2011
"FDA Takes Stance on the Importation of Lethal-Injection Drugs," is the title of Nathan Koppel's post at the Wall Street Journal Law Blog. Here's an extended excerpt: The nationwide shortage of thiopental sodium, a key anesthetic used in lethal injections,...

A Watkins Supporter Laments Leadership Shortcomings

Posted on January 05, 2011
That's the title of Mark Osler's OpEd in today's Dallas Morning News. Osler is a former federal prosecutor and Baylor Law prof. He's now at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minnesota. With great power comes a...

Arizona Lethal Injection News

Posted on January 04, 2011
"Arizona Supreme Court weighs killer's execution as FDA exits dispute over drug," is the title of Michael Kiefer's report in today's Arizona Republic. The Arizona Supreme Court today will reconsider whether to set an execution date for death-row prisoner Daniel...

Cornelius Dupree - Texas' Newest Exoneree

Posted on January 04, 2011
The updated AP report is, "Texan declared innocent after 30 years in prison," written by Jeff Carlton. A Texas man who served 30 years in prison for a rape and robbery he did not commit had his conviction overturned Tuesday...

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In Illinois

Posted on January 04, 2011
"Death penalty debate to come to a head in Illinois," is the title of Kevin McDermott's post at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Proponents of abolishing the death penalty in Illinois say they may have the votes to do it before...

It's Time for Capital Punishment to Become Texas History

Posted on January 03, 2011
That's the title of an editorial in yesterday's Houston Chronicle. It also carried the heading, "The death penalty." The Chronicle becomes the third major Texas newspaper to editorially endorse repealing the state's death penalty. The death penalty in Texas is...

Texas' Office of Capital Writs

Posted on January 03, 2011
"Cuts challenge new state office for death-row appeals," is the title of Chuck Lindell's Austin American-Statesman. It appeared in the January 1 edition. Here are extended excerpts: Troubled by revelations of second-rate work by court-appointed attorneys, Texas legislators in 2009...

Monday

Posted on January 03, 2011
I'll be linking coverage of the past week and a half, today.

More From the Dallas Morning News on the Texas Death Penalty

Posted on January 03, 2011
The editorial, "Doubts about the death penalty emerging in Texas," ran in the December 23 edition of the News. In the past, Texas has appeared unwavering in its support for the death penalty. Even as other states explored alternatives or...

News Coverage of the Amicus Brief in Green

Posted on December 23, 2010
The amicus brief filed with the CCA is in Adobe .pdf format. The AP report by Juan Lozano is, "Group wants Texas death penalty hearing to resume," via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. An alliance of nearly 60 current and former...

Additional News Coverage of 3rd Court Ruling on Wilingham Court of Inquiry

Posted on December 22, 2010
As noted yesterday, the opinion and dissent are available in Adobe .pdf format. "Appeals court rebukes Baird in Willingham case," is the title of Steven Kreytak's report in today's Austin American-Statesman. An Austin appellate court ruled Tuesday that state District...

Latest Development in the Green Case

Posted on December 22, 2010
Attorneys for John Green have issued a news release, "Unusual Alliance of Former Governors, Legislators, Law Enforcement, Former Judges and Prosecutors, Victims and Exonerees Urge Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to Allow Death Penalty Hearing to Proceed: Nearly Sixty Prominent...

Another Willingham Case Issue

Posted on December 21, 2010
Peggy Fikac wrote, "Perry keeps clemency report secret," for the Saturday edition of the Houston Chronicle. A Travis County state district judge has denied a motion by Hearst Newspapersto force Gov. Rick Perry's office to hand over a memorandum and...

Appeals Court Rules in Willingham Court of Inquiry Recusal Issue

Posted on December 21, 2010
Jordan Smith posts, "Third Court Rules in Willingham Case," at the Austin Chronicle. The Third Court of Appeals has ruled that the region's presiding administrative judge must consider whether to grant recusal of Travis Co. District Judge Charlie Baird in...

Von Drehle on the DPIC Report

Posted on December 21, 2010
I want to single out David Von Drehle's post on the DPIC report for Time, "Death Penalty Use and Support Near Record Lows, Report Finds." Perhaps no statistic better illustrates the decline in the use of the death penalty than...

News Coverage of the DPIC Report

Posted on December 21, 2010
"Death Penalty Down in U.S., Figures Show," is John Schwartz' report in today's New York Times. States are continuing a trend of executing fewer prisoners and juries are wary of sentencing criminal defendants to die, according to year-end figures compiled...

Death Penalty Information Center Issues 2010 Report

Posted on December 21, 2010
DPIC has issued The Death Penalty in 2010: A Year End Report, in Adobe .pdf format, today. The news release announcing the report is titled, "DPIC's Year End Report: Executions Down 12% Nationwide, 29% in Texas; Death Sentences Near Historic...

More on British Execution Drug Supplies

Posted on December 21, 2010
"US execution drugs supplied secretly by British companies," is the title of Mark Townsend's report for the Observer. It's via the Guardian. British companies have secretly supplied two previously undisclosed lethal injection drugs for executing American prisoners, provoking calls for...

Monday

Posted on December 20, 2010
I will be traveling Monday. Posts will resume later today.

Friday

Posted on December 17, 2010
I'll be traveling much of Friday.

Oklahoma Prepares for Substitute Drug Execution

Posted on December 16, 2010
"Okla. Set to Execute Inmate With Substitute Drug," is the titel of Sean Murphy's AP report, via ABC News. A man on Oklahoma's death row for the 2001 slaying of his cellmate is believed to be the first U.S. inmate...

How Siegler Unmade Case

Posted on December 16, 2010
That's the title of Harvey Rice's report in today's Houston Chronicle. It's subtitled, "She and a colleague independently concluded that Anthony Graves was no killer." Veteran prosecutor Kelly Siegler dreaded her meeting with the family of a grandmother and five...

Clarence Brandley on the Harris County Hearing

Posted on December 16, 2010
"Lykos was wrong to halt hearing into death penalty," is the title of his OpEd in today's Houston Chronicle. Brandley was exonerated and freed from Texas death row in 1990. He is a member of Witness to Innocence, a national...

Lufkin Daily News Editorial

Posted on December 16, 2010
"Texas sees its death sentences, executions drop, for good reason," is the title of the editorial in today's Lufkin Daily News. Texas juries this year have sentenced eight convicted killers to death, according to a Houston Chronicle story. That?s the...

Life After Death

Posted on December 16, 2010
That's the title of Michael Hall's editorial column Behind the Lines in the January issue of Texas Monthly. It's subtitled, "Why we need a moratorium on the death penalty in Texas." Here are excerpts from this must-Read: It?s time to...

Montana Supreme Court Chooses Orderly Lethal Injection Challenge

Posted on December 15, 2010
"Montana Supreme Court upholds stay of execution pending inmate's challenge," is the AP report via the Missoulian. The Montana Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a stay of execution for a Canadian man as the death-row inmate challenges the state's method...

10th Circuit Panel OKs Oklahoma Execution Drug Switch

Posted on December 15, 2010
The 10th Circuit ruling in Pavatt v. Matthews & Duty is in Adobe .pdf format. Today's Oklahoman reports, "Appeals court rejects convicted killer?s challenge to Oklahoma execution method,"by Robert Boczkiewicz. An appeals court on Tuesday allowed Oklahoma to proceed with...

Death Sentences Plunge in Texas

Posted on December 14, 2010
That's the title of Allan Turner and Mike Tolson's report in today's Houston Chronicle. It's subtitled, "Foes cite new law, DNA testing; backers blame judges, delays in executions." Juries in Texas ? the nation's most-active death penalty state ? sentenced...

TCADP Releases 2010 Annual Report

Posted on December 14, 2010
The Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty has issued its annual report, Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2010: The Year in Review. The report is available in Adobe .pdf format at the link. TCADP has also issed a news...

The Oklahoma Lethal Injection Challenge

Posted on December 13, 2010
"Oklahoma attorneys fight execution drug challenge," is the title of Robert Boczkiewicz' report for the Oklahoman. An Oklahoma death row inmate's challenge to a lethal injection drug has no merit and his execution should be allowed to proceed, a state...

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