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Criminal Law

StandDown Texas Project

Texas-centric examination of conditions, reform initiatives, and emerging issues related to best practices in the indigent criminal justice system with particular attention to issues involving capital punishment and the administration of the death penalty.
By StandDown Texas Project

Post Frequency: 49.3/day

Last Entry: April 01, 2011 at 14:21:29

Betsey Wright in Arkansas

Posted on August 14, 2009
"Ex-Clinton aide named in prison smuggling case," is the title of the AP report by Jon Gambrell. A former chief of staff for Bill Clinton when he was governor of Arkansas faces felony charges accusing her of trying to smuggle...

Judges? Dissents for Death Row Inmates Are Rising

Posted on August 14, 2009
That's the title of John Schwartz' front page report in today's New York Times. LINK Here's an extended excerpt: It took just 80 words for a federal appeals court to deny Kevin Cooper?s most recent plea to avoid execution. But...

A Texas Judge on Trial: Closed to a Death-Row Appeal?

Posted on August 13, 2009
That's the title of Hilary Hylton's report at Time.com, previewing the Judicial Conduct Commission's hearing next week on CCA Presiding Judge Sharon Keller. LINK Here's the opening: Soft-spoken and a devout Christian, Judge Sharon Keller presides as chief justice of...

Thursday

Posted on August 13, 2009
I'll be traveling to Pittsburgh most of the day Thursday, attending Net Roots Nation. I hope to resume posts Thursday evening and to do some live blogging during the conference.

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Ohio Governor Still Considering Clemency Recommendation

Posted on August 12, 2009
"Strickland remains undecided on fate of killer Getsy," is the title of Marc Kovac's Youngstown Vindicator report. Gov. Ted Strickland still has not decided whether to grant clemency to Jason Getsy, the convicted murderer sentenced to die by lethal injection...

Racial Justice Act Signed Into Law in North Carolina

Posted on August 12, 2009
"N.C. takes aim at bias in death penalty," is the title of Gary Wright's report in today's Charlotte Observer. Here's an extended excerpt of this must read: Gov. Bev Perdue on Tuesday signed a bill that will allow murder suspects...

More Misconduct ... And Cost?

Posted on August 11, 2009
Gary Gauger, the exonerated former Illinois death row inmate, is suing law enforcement officials over his treatment. The Northwest Herald today reports, "Jury selection continues in malicious prosecution case." It's written bu Jillian Duchnowski. Jury selection will continue today for...

The Tab for Prosecutorial Misconduct

Posted on August 11, 2009
Today's New Orleans Times-Picayune reports, "$14 million verdict stands against Orleans DA's office." It's written by Gwen Filosa. In a tie vote that keeps in place a lower court's ruling, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld...

North Carolina Governor to Sign RJA Today

Posted on August 11, 2009
"Purdue expected to sign racial justice bill today," is the AP report via the Winston-Salem Journal. North Carolina will become only the second state in the country that allows defendants to try to prove race was a significant factor in...

Developing Nebraska's Lethal Injection Protocol

Posted on August 11, 2009
"Nebraska consulting with other states on death penalty," is the title of Nate Jenkins' AP report via the Lincoln Journal Star. Nebraska officials have obtained advice from execution experts in Kentucky and Texas on a protocol to carry out the...

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Deserves Sanction

Posted on August 11, 2009
That's the title of an editorial in today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram on CCA Presiding Judge Sharon Keller and next week's hearing by the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct. LINK At best, the events of Sept. 25, 2007, at the Texas...

Fifth Circuit Panel Reverses Earlier Decision, Allows Appeal

Posted on August 11, 2009
"Justices reverse decision barring death row appeal," is the title of Lise Olsen's report in today's Houston Chronicle. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed itself in a surprising new opinion that revives an appeal by a Texas death...

Ohio

Posted on August 10, 2009
"Executions are coming too fast, Ohio Public Defender Tim Young says," is Reginald Fields' report at today's Cleveland Plain Dealer. Here's an extended excerpt: The state of Ohio is lining up death-row inmates for execution at a feverish pace not...

The Posthumous Exoneration of Tim Cole & the Need for Eyewitness ID Reform

Posted on August 10, 2009
Rick Casey has devoted two recent columns to the case. First, "What's the matter with Texas DAs?. When Lubbock police sought Baytown resident Michele Mallin's help in identifying the man who raped her 25 years ago when she was a...

The Dallas Morning News' Q&A With Rep. Robert Miklos

Posted on August 10, 2009
Dallas Morning News editorial board member Rodger Jones had a conversation with the Mesquite Democrat, who chairs the Death Penalty Subcommittee of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. LINK What did you learn that surprised you about the way the death...

Mentally Ill Offenders Strain Juvenile System

Posted on August 10, 2009
That's the title of Solomon Moore's report in today's New York Times. LINK It's datelined from Ohio. Here's a brief excerpt from the beginning of this must read: The teenager in the padded smock sat in his solitary confinement cell...

Texas Lawyer Previews Keller Hearing

Posted on August 07, 2009
"She Said, He Said: Depositions Reveal Disputed Points in Judge Sharon Keller Controversy," by Mary Alice Robbins appears in the August 10 edition of Texas Lawyer. A she said-he said dispute over who said what in a series of telephone...

Update on the Sonnier Case

Posted on August 07, 2009
"Inmate fighting to clear name leaves jail," is Brian Rogers updated report posted at the Houston Chronicle. A Houston man sentenced to life in prison in 1986 walked out of jail today pending further investigation of the DNA evidence that...

A Deadly Amendment to the Hate-Crimes Bill

Posted on August 07, 2009
That's the title of an editorial in today's Los Angeles Times. The subtitle is, "The GOP added a death penalty clause to the Matthew Shepard Act in hopes that a debate over capital punishment would derail the legislation." The Senate...

Another Texas Exoneration

Posted on August 07, 2009
Today's Houston Chronicle reports, "Inmate expected to be freed as DNA is reviewed." It's written by Brian Rogers. A Houston man sentenced to life in prison in 1986 is expected to be released today pending further investigation of the DNA...

Legal Team for Norfolk Four Comment

Posted on August 06, 2009
Attorneys representing the Norfolk Four have issued a news release. Here's an excerpt:Today, after spending more than 11 harsh years in prison for a crime they did not commit, Joseph J. Dick, Jr., Derek E. Tice, and Danial J. Williams,...

Kaine Grants Conditional Pardons in 'Norfolk 4' Case

Posted on August 06, 2009
That's the headline at the Washington Post website on the controversial Virginia case, The report is written by Anita Kumar and Tom Jackman. LINK Gov. Timothy M. Kaine on Thursday afternoon granted conditional pardons to three members of the "Norfolk...

Sotomayor Confirmation Vote Near - UPDATED

Posted on August 06, 2009
Judge Sotomayor has been confirmed by a vote of 68-31. The speeches have finished, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid having the last word. There is a quorum call on the Senate floor right now, which will be followed shortly...

Sotomayor Confirmation Vote Today

Posted on August 06, 2009
The full Senate is expected to vote on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor at approximately 3:00 pm (EDT), today; 2:00 pm (CDT.). C-SPAN 2, which cablecasts all Senate floor action, will cover the vote. If you don't receive C-SPAN...

North Carolina Passes Racial Justice Act

Posted on August 06, 2009
Yesterday, the North Carolina Senate voted to adopt the House version of SB 461. The measure now goes to the governor. "Racial Justice Act passes, now goes to Perdue," is the title of James Romoser's report in today's Winston-Salem Journal....

California Ordered to Reduce Prison Population

Posted on August 05, 2009
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling and a summary are here. "California Prisons Must Cut Inmate Population," is Solomon Moore's report in today's New York Times. A panel of federal judges ordered the California prison system on Tuesday...

When the Clock Strikes Five: Pregaming the Sharon Keller Trial

Posted on August 05, 2009
That's the title of Ashby Jones' post at the Wall Street Journal's Law Blog. LINK It?s hard for us not to be compelled by the Sharon Keller story. An impeachment trial for Keller, the presiding judge of the Texas Court...

RJA - Delayed & Rescheduled

Posted on August 05, 2009
Today's Winston-Salem Journal reports, "Vote on death-row disparity delayed." A vote by the North Carolina Senate on whether attorneys could offer a statistical argument showing that racial prejudice put a killer on death row has been postponed. Bill sponsor Sen...

Emily Jones, 1949 - 2009

Posted on August 05, 2009
The State Bar of Texas has announced that Emily Jones has died after a five-year battle with cancer. During her career in public and private law practice and as a program director at the Bar, she worked to expand and...

Mothers & Murder

Posted on August 04, 2009
"Texas gets bum rap on killer moms," is the title of Lisa Falkenberg's latest column. About five years ago, while reporting for The Associated Press on the case of a suburban Dallas mother who had severed her baby's arms, I...

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