ABA Journal

Death Penalty

1248 ABA Journal Death Penalty articles.

Barrett joined dissenting liberal justices as Supreme Court allowed execution of inmate seeking nitrogen death

Conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the high court’s three liberal justices to dissent Thursday, when it allowed the execution of an inmate who claimed that Alabama lost his request for execution by nitrogen hypoxia.

Weekly Briefs: ABA supports marriage equality law; Stanford offers new model for legal ed loans

ABA president calls on Senate to support Respect for Marriage Act

ABA President Deborah Enix-Ross is calling on members of the U.S. Senate to vote for the Respect for Marriage…

Federal judge orders district attorney to write apology letters to families of murder victims

A federal judge has ordered Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to write apology letters to the families of the victims of a double murder after concluding that supervisors in his office made misleading statements to the court.

ABA urges Supreme Court to hear case of inmate convicted based on faulty DNA evidence

The ABA is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case of a Texas death row inmate who was convicted based on DNA evidence deemed to be “false, misleading and unreliable” by a state habeas court.

Weekly Briefs: Jan. 6 panel subpoenas ex-White House counsel; former Judge Alex Kozinski represents Trump

Ex-White House counsel subpoenaed by Jan. 6 panel

Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone has been subpoenaed to testify before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S.…

ABA project seeks more pro bono attorneys in wake of Supreme Court death penalty decision

The Death Penalty Representation Project offers varying opportunities for mid- to large-size firms, small firms and solo practitioners. Its staff is actively recruiting pro bono attorneys for about two dozen cases at any given time and will hire law students and undergraduate students for semester-long internships throughout the year.

SCOTUS rules against death row inmate seeking neurological test to show ineffective lawyering

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Tuesday that a federal court can’t order a state to transport a death row inmate to a medical facility for testing without a showing that the information sought would be useful in the prisoner’s habeas case.

Reed Smith’s pro bono report expresses ‘grave’ concerns about death row inmate’s conviction

A lawyer for an Oklahoma inmate plans to seek a stay of execution after Reed Smith released a report on its independent investigation of the case, undertaken pro bono at the request of a bipartisan group of more than 30 state lawmakers.

Sotomayor argues Texas court defied SCOTUS ruling in ineffective counsel case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear the case of a death row inmate who successfully argued two years ago that he received ineffective assistance of counsel.

Matters of Life and Death: ABA advocacy helps ensure constitutional protections in capital cases

Death penalty cases are difficult. The crimes are often shocking, and justice for the victims and their families is always a concern. The ABA does not take a position on the morality or constitutionality of the death penalty. But it is committed to ensuring capital punishment is applied in a fair, unbiased and accurate manner, including engaging with governments to ensure due process.

Supreme Court decision is an impediment for defendants who ‘lost the lawyer lottery twice’

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that Arizona habeas defendants who claim that their trial and postconviction counsel were ineffective can’t introduce evidence outside the state-court record to prove that their first lawyer botched the case.

Weekly Briefs: SCOTUS will hear inmate’s appeal of DNA testing; prosecutor accidentally shoots himself

Supreme Court will hear death row inmate’s DNA test bid

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear the case of a Texas death row inmate who said DNA…

Execution stayed for Texas woman who confessed in toddler’s death after 100 denials

The top criminal court in Texas has stayed the execution of Melissa Elizabeth Lucio, who confessed to the murder of her 2-year-old daughter after repeated denials during an hourslong interrogation.

Weekly Briefs: Prof gets $400K settlement in pronoun case; panic-attack firing leads to $450K verdict

Prof who refused to use preferred pronouns gets $400K settlement

Shawnee State University in Ohio has agreed to pay philosophy professor Nicholas Meriwether $400,000 and to rescind a written warning…

SCOTUS should not restrict counsel’s investigations in death penalty cases, ABA says

In an amicus brief filed Monday, the ABA urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reaffirm that counsel representing habeas petitioners should be able to investigate new evidence without first proving that the evidence will provide relief to their clients.

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