Criminal Law

Headline: Stay the execution of Charles Dean Hood

Posted on June 17, 2008
Thats title of today's Dallas Morning News editorial about Texas Court of Criminal Appeals' ruling against a stay of execution for Charles Dean Hood.The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals failed to uphold the integrity of the justice system yesterday by refusing to stay the execution of murderer Charles Dean Hood...

Report from the Texas Democratic Convention

Posted on June 15, 2008
by Barbara AcunaThe last two days have been a roller coaster ride for everyone at the TX State Democratic Convention with the Resolution to Abolish the Death Penalty in Texas. Sitting in the Resolutions Committee meeting, the anticipation of what was about to happen had us on the edge of our seats...

The Barack Obama I know

Posted on June 12, 2008
By Jennifer Bishop Jenkins from Northfield, Illinois "I did not know Senator Barack Obama at all, but like many others here in Illinois became completely convinced about his leadership abilities after I had the opportunity to watch him deftly help guide our state through a crisis in our criminal justice system...

Austinites Protest the Resumption of Texas Executions:

Posted on June 11, 2008
"STOP THE EXECUTION OF KARL CHAMBERLAIN" Austin, TX ? June 10, 2008 ? Members of the Campaign to END the Death Penalty and opponents of Capital Punishment will rally in downtown Austin Wednesday, June 11 to protest the execution of Karl Chamberlain and the resumption of executions in Texas after an eight-month hiatus...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

The Barak Obama I know

Posted on June 11, 2008
By Jennifer Bishop Jenkins from Northfield, Illinois "I did not know Senator Barack Obama at all, but like many others here in Illinois became completely convinced about his leadership abilities after I had the opportunity to watch him deftly help guide our state through a crisis in our criminal justice system...

Karl Chamberlain Executed in Texas

Posted on June 11, 2008
The Houston Chronicle is reporting that Texas has executed convicted killer Karl Eugene Chamberlain for the rape-slaying of a woman in Dallas 17 years ago, making him the first Texas prisoner in nearly nine months to be put to death in the nation's most active death penalty state...

Video of Barak Obama vs. Alan Keyes death penalty debate

Posted on June 06, 2008

KXAN: Officer's guilty pleas could affect death row inmate's appeal

Posted on June 01, 2008

Inside the Architecture of Authority

Posted on May 30, 2008
Wired Magazine has published a collection of photographs by Richard Ross titled, "Inside the Architecture of Authority." The first picture is the death chamber at Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola.A new book by photographer Richard Ross, Architecture of Authority, examines the way institutional buildings exert power over people...

Cuba to commute death sentences

Posted on May 30, 2008
I just found this BBC News article from April 29 in my inbox about Raul Castro's commutation of death sentences.Cuba's President Raul Castro says nearly all death sentences are to be commuted to prison terms of between 30 years and life.It is the latest in a series of liberalising measures...

Mike Kennedy, RIP

Posted on May 28, 2008
I first met Mike Kennedy during the annual Fast and Vigil to Abolish the Death penalty and later several times in Texas, including the 2007 Journey of Hope. Abe Bonowitz's has done a blog post about Mike Kennedy which I am copying here. More is here...

Tonight! (Tuesday) Protest & Press Conference for Yogurt Shop Case-AUSTIN

Posted on May 27, 2008
Jeannine Scott, wife of wrongly convicted Yogurt Shop defendant Michael Scott, has been a tireless fighter against the death penalty and has worked on behalf of so many men and women for justice over the years. With Mike?s new trial around the corner, we have a real chance to win justice and bring him home...

Collin County DA admits Michael Blair should not be on death row

Posted on May 24, 2008
Months after DNA evidence proved that a hair used to connect Michael Blairto Ashley Estell did not belong to either person, the Collin County DA hasfinally admitted that Michael Blair's conviction cannot stand. On deathrow, he is case number 999122, but he won't be there for long...

Listen to Rev. Carroll Pickett interviewed on Fresh Air

Posted on May 21, 2008
You can listen to the interview at:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90526632May 19, 2008 | Fresh Air from WHYY | 39 min 19 secLegal AffairsChaplain Discusses 'Death House' MinistryReverend Carroll Pickett was the death-house chaplain at the Walls prison unitin Huntsville, Texas for 13 years...

Reverend Carroll Pickett on NPR's Fresh Air

Posted on May 19, 2008
Reverend Carroll Pickett, the subject of "At the Death House Door" will be interviewed today on NPR's Fresh Air. Tune in to your local NPR station to listen. The archive will be posted online at 3pm Eastern Time: http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown...

People Scheduled to be Executed in Texas

Posted on May 16, 2008
Legal Lynching Date + No. for TX Last Name First Name TDCJ Number Date of Birth Race County 06/03/2008 ? Tuesday -- #406 Sonnier Derrick 999054 10/26/1967 B Harris 06/11/2008 ? Wednesday #407 Chamberlain Karl 999241 06/20/1970 W Dallas 06/17/2008 ? Tuesday -- #408 Hood Charles 000982 08/20/1969 W Collin 07/10/2008 ?Thursday -- #409 Turner Carlton 999321 07/04/1979 B Dallas 07/22/2008 ? Tuesday -- #410 Bower Lester 000764 11/20/1947 W Grayson 07/31/2008 ? Thursday -- #411 Davis Larry 999316 10/09/1967 B Potter 08/05/2008 ? Tuesday -- #412 Medellin Jose 999134 03/04/1975 H Harris 08/14/2008 ? Thursday -- #413 Rodriguez Michael 999413 10/29/1962 H Dallas 08/20/2008 ? Wednesday #414 Manns Denard 999405 12/22/1965 B Bell 09/09/2008 ? Tuesday -- #415 Wright Gregory 999253 11/01/1965 W Dallas There?s no right way to do the wrong thing! The death penalty is racist and anti-poor! ABOLITION NOW! FUTURE DEATH PENALTY ACTIVITIES:Saturday, May 24 29th Annual Pan African Festival?Help staff the Abolition Movement?s table @ SHAPE Center, 3815 Live Oak Friday, May 30 Rapper Capital X in Houston -- after walking 1700 miles from New Jersey to Texas to oppose the death penalty...

State needs innocence commission

Posted on May 14, 2008
That is the title of Dallas Morning News' recent editorial calling for creation of Texas Innocence Commission. A poignant drama unfolded in the state Capitol last week that should have been witnessed by all Texans. Nine men at a head table in the Senate chamber looked out at a sea of faces and shared stories of lost freedom...

Protest at yogurt shop case hearing for Michael Scott

Posted on May 12, 2008
TELL TRAVIS COUNTY: DROP ALL THE CHARGES, BRING THEM HOME NOW!Wednesday, May 14th at 1PMTravis County Courthouse Plaza, off Lavaca between 10th and 11th.Things are heating up in the Yogurt Shop case! As many of you may know, long time CEDP member Jeannine Scott is fighting for her husband Michael Scott, who was wrongfully imprisoned for murder in this case...

Report from the Summit on Wrongful Convictions

Posted on May 09, 2008
Friends, Six of us with the Abolition Movement went to Austin today for the Summit on Wrongful Convictions sponsored by Texas Senator Rodney Ellis. Today was an amazing day -- meeting 9 exonerees, meeting the Dallas DA that has the courage to do the right thing, speaking with legislators who agree with us that DA's that commit misconduct should go to jail...

Protest the First Texas Execution in 9 Months at Rick Perry's Home

Posted on May 08, 2008
There will be protests of the first execution in Texas after the Supreme Court ruling allowing executions to resume after a de facto moratorium since Sept 25. The protests will occur prior to the first execution. Currently, the first execution is on June 3rd...

Summit on Wrongful Convictions

Posted on May 05, 2008
(Austin, TX; April 29, 2008) ? State Senator Rodney Ellis today announced that a day-long Summit on Wrongful Convictions will be held May 8 at the State Capitol in Austin to determine the causes of wrongful convictions in Texas and identify reforms that can prevent them...

Innocence Project of Texas and James Woodard on CBS's 60 Minutes

Posted on May 04, 2008
CBS "60 Minutes" - Sunday, May 4 Tune in to CBS's "60 Minutes" on Sunday, May 4 to learn more about the Innocence Project of Texas's involvement in securing the release of James Lee Woodard, who served more than 27 years in prison for a Dallas County murder that he has always maintained he did not commit...

Dallas Morning News Editorial: Free to kill again

Posted on April 24, 2008
This editorial was published on April 17, by the Dallas Morning News.The Supreme Court decision yesterday allowing execution by lethal injection eventually will free the nation's busiest death chamber ? the one in Huntsville, Texas ? to pick up where it left off...

More details about the death of Diana Shorthouse

Posted on April 23, 2008
Fellow Abolitionists, I want to let you all know that one of the Abolition Movement's long-time members and a friend to many of us in the Abolition Movement was murdered. Diana Shorthouse began working with us maybe 10 or 12 years ago. She has not been a regular at meetings for a few years now--probably 4 or 5 years...

Anti death penalty activist murdered

Posted on April 22, 2008
Dear Friends, The Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement lost one of our long-time members and an activist against the death penalty here in Houston, Texas. Diana Shorthouse was murdered a few weeks ago and leaves a beautiful daughter, Jolie. The Abolition Movement will have a short memorial tribute to Diana before our May meeting which will be on Tuesday, May 6, at the S...

Dont Miss Boston Legal tonight

Posted on April 22, 2008
Tonight is the promised episode of Boston Legal where the lawyers take on the Supreme Court and the Death Penalty in a non-murder rape case from deep south. Several people from the abolitionist community visited the set in March and saw the episode being filmed...

Justice Stevens renounces death penalty

Posted on April 20, 2008
Justice John Paul Stevens who in 1976 announced an opinion allowing resumption of the death penalty, has now turned against the death penalty making him the only abolitionist person in the court. Here is NYT's article about this issue.By LINDA GREENHOUSEWASHINGTON ? When Justice John Paul Stevens intervened in a Supreme Court argument on Wednesday to score a few points off the lawyer who was defending the death penalty for the rape of a child, the courtroom audience saw a master strategist at work, fully in command of the flow of the argument and the smallest details of the case...

National Crime Victims' Rights Week

Posted on April 16, 2008
This is taken from EJUSA's weekly newsletter about the National Crime Victims' Rights Week.4.16.08 Greetings! This week is National Crime Victims' Rights Week. For me, it's a powerful reminder of one of the most important (and often overlooked) reasons to support a moratorium on executions...

Supreme Court OK's lethal injections

Posted on April 16, 2008
As expected, today in a 7-2 decision the Supreme Court found the lethal injection to be constitutional. Capital Defense Weekly has more details about the decision. You can read the full text of the opinion online.NYT: Supreme Court Allows Lethal Injection for ExecutionAP: Executions to resume after high court OK's lethal injectionsSCOTUS Blog: Analysis: Limit may be imposed on death penalty for child rape

Nation Student Writing Contest

Posted on April 16, 2008
We're looking for original, thoughtful student voices to answer this question: What have you learned from a personal experience that the next president should know before setting the agenda for the country? Essays should not exceed 800 words and should be original, unpublished work that demonstrates fresh, clear thinking and superior quality of expression and craftsmanship...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.