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Another capital test case concerning defendant's fate after lawyers' failings

By Douglas A. Berman

Adam Liptak's always interesting Sidebar column in the New York Times this week is focused on a capital appeal from Alabama under the headline "A Mailroom Mix-Up That Could Cost a Life."   Here are excerpts: Sullivan & Cromwell is a law firm with glittering offices in a dozen cities around the world, and some of its partners charge more than $1,000 an hour. The firm?s paying clients, at least, demand impeccable work. Cory R. Maples, a death row inmate in Alabama, must have been grateful when lawyers from the firm agreed to represent him without charge.  But the assistance he got may turn out to be lethal. When an Alabama court sent two copies of a ruling in Mr. Maples?s case to the firm in New York, its mailroom sent them back unopened [because two] associates handling Mr...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on August 03, 2010 (boomark / email).