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Adam Liptak has, "Lawyer Reveals Secret, Toppling Death Sentence," in today's New York Times.For 10 years, Leslie P. Smith, a Virginia lawyer, reluctantly kept a secret because the authorities on legal ethics told him he had no choice, even though his information could save the life of a man on death row, one whose case had led to a landmark Supreme Court decision. Mr. Smith believed that prosecutors had committed brazen misconduct by coaching a witness and hiding it from the defense, but the Virginia State Bar said he was bound by legal ethics rules not to bring up the matter. He shared his qualms and pangs of conscience with only one man, Timothy G. Clancy, who had worked on the case with him. ?Clancy and I, when we were alone together, would reminisce about this and more or less renew our vows of silence,? Mr...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on January 19, 2008 (boomark / email).