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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

Daily Kos on the Norfolk Four

Posted on November 11, 2010
Daily Kos features an excellent recap of the Norfolk Four case in the Criminal InJustice Kos post, "Confessions, Innocence and Abolition." On Tuesday, November 9, PBS Frontline broadcast a new documentary "The Confessions," (produced by renowned filmmaker Ofra Bikel) which...

Death Penalty Contradictions

Posted on November 11, 2010
That's the title of a post by Scott Christianson at the Washington Post Political Bookworm blog. He's also the author of The Last Gasp: The Rise and Fall of the American Gas Chamber, published earlier this year. Americans do not...

Opinion Roundup

Posted on November 10, 2010
In Illinois, the Rockford Register Star carries the editorial, "Our View: Accept no substitute, abolish death penalty in Illinois," today. Illinois legislators will be busy during the veto session. It is hard to believe there could be anything more important...

Cullen v. Pinholster Argued at Supreme Court

Posted on November 10, 2010
Courthouse News Service has the only coverage I've found of this case from the Ninth Circuit. Avery Fellow writes, "Justices Review Role of Evidence in Habeas Cases." The Supreme Court on Tuesday considered whether a federal court can overturn a...

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11th Circuit to Review Georgia's Mental Retardation Standard

Posted on November 10, 2010
"Appeals court vacates ruling on mental retardation," is the title of Bill Rankin's report in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The federal appeals court on Tuesday vacated its ruling that found unconstitutional the burden Georgia puts on capital defendants to prove they...

Hearings Set for Lethal Injection Challenges in Oklahoma, Tennessee

Posted on November 10, 2010
The Guardian reports, "Oklahoma seeks to execute convicts with veterinary drug." It's written by Chris McGreal in Washington. Here's an extended excerpt: Oklahoma is to ask the courts for permission to execute condemned men with a drug commonly used to...

Harris County Taps Experienced Hand for Public Defender

Posted on November 10, 2010
That's the title of today's Houston Chronicle report on the appointment of Alexander Bunin as the county's first public defender. The subtitle is, "Commissioners Court unanimous in approving lawyer from New York;" it's written by Chris Moran. Commissioners Court on...

Angus Reid Public Opinion Polling

Posted on November 10, 2010
First, a disclaimer. This polling is at considerable odds with the most recent Gallup Poll, released earlier this week, by a degree well beyond the margin of error. ?Indeed, even the Scripps-Howard Texas Poll was not showing this level of...

Is Federal Clemency Working?

Posted on November 09, 2010
Two recent OpEd highlight problems with the federal clemency system. Mark Osler's Dallas Morning News OpEd is, "Obama's Mercy Dearth." It appeared in Sunday's paper. After 10 years as a Baylor Law prof, Osler moved this fall to the St....

Oklahoma Wants to Swith Lethal Injection Anesthetic

Posted on November 09, 2010
Today's Wall Street Journal reports, "Plea for Execution Drug." It's written by Nathan Koppel. Oklahoma is preparing to argue in court next week that a drug used to euthanize animals can also be used to execute death row inmates amid...

Special Court of Review Rejects Keller Ruling Reconsideration

Posted on November 09, 2010
"Court won't reconsider dismissal of Keller rebuke," is the AP post, via the Austin American-Statesman. A special court that dismissed an ethics rebuke against Texas' top criminal judge after a bumbled execution-day appeal declined Monday to reconsider its decision...

Alex Bunin Names Harris County Public Defender

Posted on November 09, 2010
"Harris County hires its first public defender," is the title of Katie McCall's post for Houston's KTRK-TV. There is video at the link. After a lot of public outcry and demands, what some say is a wake-up call for Harris...

Judge Sarokin on False Confessions - Norfolk Four, Tonight on Frontline

Posted on November 09, 2010
Retired Federal Judge H. Lee Sarokin posts, "Why Do Innocent People Confess to Crimes They Did Not Commit?," at Huffington Post. The answer all too often is coercion, intimidation, deceit and trickery. All of those techniques were employed to obtain....

The Latest Gallup Polling

Posted on November 08, 2010
"In U.S., 64% Support Death Penalty in Cases of Murder," is the title of the summary at Gallup. It's written by Frank Newport. It contains numerous charts and graphics. Gallup's annual Crime Survey finds that 64% of Americans continue to...

PBS Frontline to Examine Norfolk Four Case

Posted on November 08, 2010
The PBS documentary, which premiered this season with an examination of the Todd Willingham case, takes up another controversial case, that of the Norfolk Four in Virginia. Tomorrow night's program is, "The Confessions." Check your local PBS affiliate for the...

Arkansas Supplied Execution Drug to Oklahoma, Tennessee

Posted on November 08, 2010
"Drug used in recent Oklahoma execution was provided by Arkansas, dose also provided to Tenn.," is the AP report via KFSM-TV. One of the drugs used in the recent execution of an Oklahoma death row inmate was provided by Arkansas....

California Lethal Injection News

Posted on November 08, 2010
"State has enough sodium thiopental to execute four," is the title of Carol J. Williams' report in today's Los Angeles Times. In a padlocked refrigerator behind San Quentin State Prison's death chamber, 12 grams of scarce sodium thiopental is available...

Leonard Pitts Revisits the Anthony Graves Exoneration

Posted on November 08, 2010
"Death Row backers blind to injustice," is the title of the award-winning columnist's latest. His syndicated column is via the Miami Herald, his home paper. In this excerpt, Pitts is referring to Pamela Colloff's Texas Monthly examination of the case,...

Keller Case Needs Further Action

Posted on November 08, 2010
That's the title of an editorial in the Sunday edition of the San Antonio Express-News. The Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct should be allowed to readdress the case of Presiding Judge Sharon Keller of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals....

Robert Leleux on David Lee Powell, Revisited

Posted on November 05, 2010
Utne Reader has published a condensed version of Robert Leleux' original Texas Observer reporting on David Lee Powell's impending execution in June. It's titled, "Thou Shalt Not Kill. Unless . . ." A good friend told me something startling. She...

America's Death Penalty Criticized at UN Human Rights Commission

Posted on November 05, 2010
Reuters has posted, "U.S. defends human rights record at U.N." It's written by Stephanie Nebehay. The United States defended itself against criticism of its human rights record from friend and foe alike on Friday in a United Nations forum that...

Ohio Running Out of Lethal Injection Drug

Posted on November 05, 2010
That's the title of Alan Johnson's report in today's Columbus Dispatch. Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction officials say they have enough of the drug for the execution of Sidney Cornwell of Mahoning County, scheduled for Nov. 16. Beyond that,...

The Keller Saga

Posted on November 05, 2010
"Taxpayers not liable for Keller's legal fees, court says," is the title of Chuck Lindell's report in today's Austin American-Statesman. Clearing up confusion in its dismissal of an ethics rebuke against Judge Sharon Keller, a special court of review has...

Arkansas Supreme Court Orders New Hearing in West Memphis 3 Case

Posted on November 04, 2010
The ruling in Echols v. Arkansas is available in Adobe .pdf format, as well as, Baldwin v. State and Misskelley v. State. "Arkansas Supreme Court orders new hearing for Echols," is the AP report by Jill Zeman Bleed, via the...

Lethal Injection Roundup

Posted on November 04, 2010
"Study of doctors and the death penalty garners award from medical journal," by Andrew Cohen is at Canada Views. Here's an extended excerpt: The editorial board of the Journal of Medical Regulation has awarded Berkeley Law Assistant Professor Ty Alper...

Birmingham News Editorial

Posted on November 04, 2010
"The state of Alabama may be short of the resources it needs to educate children, but it somehow has a scarce chemical on hand to carry out an execution on Thursday," is the title of the powerful editorial in today's...

Execution Date for Mentally Ill Inmate to Be Withdrawn

Posted on November 04, 2010
"Judge Salvant in Fort Worth postpones hearing on execution of mentally ill Death Row inmate Staley," is the Fort Worth Star-Telegram report by Martha Deller. For the third time in five years, a mentally ill Death Row inmate has gotten...

Rolando Ruiz

Posted on November 03, 2010
Today's San Antonio Express-News reports, "Inmate seeks overthrow of sentence. It's written by Guillermo Contreras. A San Antonio man on death row who was hired by a member of the Texas 7 to kill his wife for insurance money is...

Dallas County District Attorney Wins Second Term

Posted on November 03, 2010
"Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins defeats challenger Danny Clancy," is the Dallas Morning News report by Jennifer Emily and Jason Trahan. Democratic incumbent Craig Watkins defeated Republican challenger Danny Clancy in the Dallas County district attorney race...

British Group Sues to Stop Export of Execution Drug

Posted on November 03, 2010
"Britons suing over U.S. execution drug," is the AP report via the Austin American-Statesman. A rights group opposed to the death penalty filed suit Tuesday to try to prevent a British company from exporting a drug that could be used...

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