Death Penalty

Sotomayor accuses majority of ‘linguistic contortion’ in rejecting ineffective assistance claim in death penalty case

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the ineffective assistance claim of a death row inmate who didn’t call his lawyers to testify about their failure to hire an expert to assess him for an intellectual disability.

Jul 2, 2021 1:55 PM CDT

AG Garland announces moratorium on federal executions; firing squad rule examined

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday that he is placing or moratorium on federal executions to allow for a review of changes made during the Trump administration.

Jul 2, 2021 9:25 AM CDT

DOJ seeks reinstatement of death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber

The U.S. Department of Justice is backing reinstatement of the death sentence for the Boston Marathon bomber in a brief filed Monday with the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jun 16, 2021 9:29 AM CDT

Arizona reportedly prepares gas chamber for execution by cyanide, the gas used at Auschwitz

Arizona officials have “gone to considerable lengths to revive the state’s mothballed gas chamber,” according to a recently released report by the Guardian.

Jun 7, 2021 9:02 AM CDT

Oklahoma attorney general abruptly announces resignation; his office is sorting out tribal case decision

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter announced his resignation Wednesday—a day after the Oklahoman submitted questions to him about an affair with a state employee.

May 27, 2021 1:24 PM CDT

Inmate seeking firing-squad execution denied cert; dissent says court ‘chooses to stand idly by’

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear the case of a Missouri death row inmate who is seeking execution by firing squad rather than lethal injection.

May 24, 2021 10:53 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Trans worker fails to make discrimination case against employer; former DA’s husband gets community service

Transgender employee failed to show discrimination in case against T-Mobile, appeals court says The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans has dismissed claims brought by Elijah Anthony Olivarez, a transgender employee of T-Mobile USA who alleged that he was fired for taking a long leave of absence…

May 14, 2021 2:40 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Cops charged with selling crash info to lawyers; deal reached on McGahn testimony

Officers charged with selling crash info to lawyers A retired New York police officer and two current officers were charged Tuesday with taking kickbacks from towing companies. Heather Busch, Robert Hassett and Robert Smith are charged in a federal indictment with using interstate facilities to commit bribery. Smith and Hassett…

May 12, 2021 4:30 PM CDT

Chemerinsky op-ed calls on Justice Breyer to retire now

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg didn't heed calls to resign when law dean Erwin Chemerinsky wrote a March 2014 op-ed making that plea.

May 11, 2021 10:15 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: DNA on murder weapon isn’t from executed man; lawmakers embrace firing-squad executions

DNA suggests murder was carried out by someone other than executed man DNA tests on a murder weapon and a bloody shirt are not a match with the man executed for carrying out the crime, according to lawyers from the Innocence Project and the American Civil Liberties Union. Arkansas inmate…

May 7, 2021 4:12 PM CDT

SCOTUS should hear case in which shackled defendant reenacted murder, with no defense objection, Sotomayor says

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented Monday when the high court refused to hear a case in which a shackled defendant reenacted a murder during his sentencing, with no objection from his defense lawyer.

Apr 20, 2021 10:20 AM CDT

Texas court tosses sentence of state’s longest-serving death row inmate

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has overturned the sentence of the state’s longest-serving death row inmate.

Apr 16, 2021 10:28 AM CDT

Alabama judge is suspended from bench after she is accused of anti-death penalty predilection

A judge in Birmingham, Alabama, has been suspended with pay after the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission alleged that she showed an apparent predisposition against the death penalty, ignored appellate directives, and showed a lack of appropriate demeanor to prosecutors.

Apr 13, 2021 11:47 AM CDT

Former death row inmate thanks God and his lawyers for his release after 30-plus years in prison

A former death row inmate in Florida told reporters Thursday that he thanked God and his legal team for his release from prison.

Apr 9, 2021 12:43 PM CDT

Kelley Henry is a champion for death row inmates

For ABA member Kelley Henry, advocating for people on death row isn’t just a job. She wants to help fix what she sees as a broken system, and she loves the Constitution. “I see myself as someone who is defending the Sixth Amendment, the Eighth Amendment, the 14th Amendment, because if you say it’s OK to violate those rights because you just don’t like my guys, then your rights are next,” she says. “There are ways in which lawyers are part of that system of checks and balances. We’re a check on the government’s power.”

Apr 1, 2021 12:40 AM CDT