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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

Troy Davis Hearing Begins in Savannah

Posted on June 23, 2010
"Court to hear Troy Davis' innocence claims in cop's 1989 killing," is the title of the report by Bill Rankin in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Troy Anthony Davis returns today to Savannah, where he was convicted and sentenced to death almost....

Justice Stevens' Legacy and the Troy Davis Case

Posted on June 22, 2010
"Stevens leaving legacy of judicial care," is the title of an OpEd in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It's by Norman S. Fletcher, a former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice. He's also a member of the Constitution Project?s Right to Counsel Committee...

Caprock Regional PD Approved for Rural Texas Area

Posted on June 22, 2010
The current issue of Texas Lawyer reports, "Funding OK'd for Public Defender Office to Assist 16 Counties." It's written by Mary Alice Robbins. With financing from a $566,701 grant, Dickens County and as many as 15 other counties extending from...

Fifth Circuit Orders Evidentiary Hearing in John Balentine Case

Posted on June 22, 2010
The AP filing by Michael Graczyk is, "Condemned killer wins hearing in triple slaying," via the Austin American-Statesman. A Texas prisoner who came within a day of execution last year for a triple slaying in Amarillo has won a court...

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Director Hired for Texas Office of Capital Writs

Posted on June 22, 2010
"Chief hired for state public defense office," is the title of Lise Olsen's report in today's Houston Chronicle. Texas has hired an experienced California attorney to run its first-ever public defense office for death row appeals known as state writs...

A Long-Running Louisiana Case

Posted on June 22, 2010
James Ridgeway and Jean Casella write, "What's Next for Albert Woodfox of the Angola 3?" for Mother Jones. Albert Woodfox has spent nearly all of the last 38 years in solitary confinement at the Louisiana State Penitientiary at Angola. His...

An Update on Gaile Owens

Posted on June 22, 2010
Today's Memphis Commercial Appeal reports, "Tennessee Methodists ask Bredesen to halt execution of Bartlett native Gaile Owens," written by Richard Locker. The Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church is asking Gov. Phil Bredesen to spare Bartlett native Gaile Owens...

A Minister Speaks Against the David Powell Execution

Posted on June 22, 2010
Rev. Chuck Freeman has posted, "If St. Paul Had Been a Texan, Our 'Christian' Officials Would Have Executed Him," at Huffington Post. Freeman is Minister of Spiritual Life with Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church in Austin. He is the creator;...

More Editorial Reflection on the Gardner Execution

Posted on June 22, 2010
Today's Des Moines Register carries the editorial, "Executing criminals always a barbaric act." About 50 people were executed for crimes in the United States in 2009 - an average of one a week. National media pay little attention to most...

A New Hampshire Speaks Out Against Captial Punishment

Posted on June 22, 2010
Foster's Daily Democrat today carries, "On New Hampshire's death penalty," by Joseph P. Nadeau. It has been my good fortune to serve as a judge in New Hampshire for 37 years. For 13 of those years I was presiding justice...

11th Circuit Ruling on Mental Retardation

Posted on June 21, 2010
"Mental retardation burden of proof in death cases unconstitutional" by Bill Rankin is the Atlanta Journal-Constitution report. The burden that Georgia places on death-penalty defendants to prove they are mentally retarded -- and thus ineligible for execution -- is unconstitutional,...

An Update on the Troy Davis Case

Posted on June 21, 2010
Bill Rankin reports, "New Troy Davis hearing this week in cop's death," in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution. U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr., who will hear the case, is not expected to make an immediate ruling. He has instructed parties....

Learning From Error

Posted on June 21, 2010
James M. Doyle's latest scholarship, "Learning from Error in American Criminal Justice," appears in the Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, Vol. 100, No.1. By arrangement with the author, it's available in Adobe .pdf format. James' 2005 book True Witness...

Federal Review of State Death Sentences

Posted on June 21, 2010
"Congress must rewrite the law governing lawyers for poor death-row inmates," is the title of an editorial in today's Washington Post. THERE IS something disturbing and distasteful about allowing states to take shortcuts in their quests to put convicts to...

Commentary on the Gardner Execution

Posted on June 21, 2010
David Dow posted, " Last Night's Gruesome Execution," at Daily Beast on Friday morning, hours after the execution. I don?t know what Ronnie Lee Gardner ordered for a final meal, or if he ate at all. I?m not interested. But...

Viewing an Execution

Posted on June 21, 2010
That's the title of Austin American-Statesman reporter Tony Plohetski's account of witnessing the execution of David Powell. It's subtitled, "Psyche of veteran police reporter challenged inside death chamber." It appeared in the Sunday Outlook section...

News Coverage of the Keller Proceedings

Posted on June 21, 2010
"Sharon Keller Case in Hands of Judicial Conduct Commission," is the title of Mary Alice Robbins' report for Texas Lawyer. The attorney defending Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Sharon Keller against misconduct charges that could result in her...

The Utah Execution

Posted on June 18, 2010
The New York Times reports, "Utah Executes Murderer by Firing Squad," by Kirk Johnson. A five-member firing squad at the Utah State Prison took aim and fired .30-caliber bullets at a target pinned on the chest of Ronnie Lee Gardner,...

The Spectacle Doesn't Change the Facts

Posted on June 18, 2010
That's the title of Diann Rust-Tierney's latest commentary at Huffington Post. LINK Here's an extended excerpt: Ronnie Lee Gardner's death by a Utah firing squad is an anomaly. Despite the curiosity generated by the high-profile manner of imposing the punishment,...

Sharon Keller Faces Disciplinary Panel Today

Posted on June 18, 2010
Today's Dallas Morning News reports, "Prosecutors will try today to reopen case against Judge Sharon Keller." It's written by Christy Hoppe. Prosecutors at a hearing this morning will attempt to revive the case against Judge Sharon Keller, accused of closing...

Friday

Posted on June 18, 2010
I'm attending the American Constitution Society 2010 Annual Conference. The program is packed with great speakers and panels discussions. I'll be posting at the site, as well as tweeting and re-tweeting items. You can follow the tweets in the new...

An Update on the Estrada Case

Posted on June 17, 2010
Today's San Antonio Express-News reports, "Death row inmate's death sentence overturned," by Craig Kapitan. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ordered Bexar County to conduct a new sentencing hearing for Adrian Estrada, who stabbed and strangled Stephanie Sanchez, 17, at...

Thursday

Posted on June 17, 2010
I'll be traveling most of Thursday. Posting will likely resume this evening. Take this opportunity to visit sites in the left-column webroll.

A Utah Roundup

Posted on June 16, 2010
Ronnie Lee Gardner's execution is scheduled for Thursday morning, shortly after midnight; approximately 12 hours from now. CNN has "Inmate set to die by firing squad asks high court to stay execution," by Bill Mears. A Utah death row inmate...

Shoot Me Now

Posted on June 16, 2010
That's the title of a news article posted at Slate by Margot Sanger-Katz. It's subtitled, "Are firing squads a better means of execution than lethal injection?" Here's an extended excerpt: According to the Utah Department of Corrections, Gardner will be...

News Coverage of David Powell Execution

Posted on June 16, 2010
"Powell executed for 1978 slaying of police officer," is the Austin American-Statesman article written by Tony Plohetski and Chuck Lindell. Declining to make a final statement, David Lee Powell was executed Tuesday for killing an Austin police officer 32 years...

New Punishment Phase for Adrian Estrada

Posted on June 16, 2010
"New penalty phase for ex-San Antonio youth pastor," is the title of Michael Graczyk's report posted at the Houston Chronicle. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has thrown out the death sentence of a San Antonio man condemned for murdering...

Additional News Coverage of Claude Jones Case

Posted on June 16, 2010
"Judge orders DNA testing for man executed in 2000," is the title of Cindy Horswell's report in today's Houston Chronicle. Claude ?Butch? Jones? last request before his execution just before Christmas 10 years ago was an emotional telephone call to...

The Latest on Kevin Keith

Posted on June 15, 2010
Supporters of Kevin Keith have started a petition urging clemency in his case. I've embedded an action box in the right column for those who would like to sign. You can also sign the petition at this LINK. Kevin Keith...

Claude Jones

Posted on June 15, 2010
Dave Mann posts, "DNA Could Show If Claude Jones Was Wrongly Executed," at the Texas Observer. A state district judge has ordered East Texas prosecutors to hand over key evidence from a 1989 murder case to the Innocence Project and...

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