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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

Texas Execution

Posted on January 30, 2009
Texas carried out its fifth execution of 2009, last night in Huntsville; the second in two consecutive nights. It was the 427th in the state since 1982. It was the seventh execution in the nation this year; the 1,143nd execution...

Also in Ohio

Posted on January 30, 2009
AP reports, "Ohio court reprimands judge in death penalty case," via Google News.The Ohio Supreme Court has reprimanded a judge and a prosecutor for teaming up to write a death penalty sentencing order.The discovery of the prosecutor's involvement in writing...

Ohio Clemency Debate

Posted on January 30, 2009
"Family of Ohio woman slain by son wants him spared," is the AP report today, via Google News. It's written by Andrew Welsh-Huggins.An inmate fighting execution for killing his mother in a crack cocaine-induced rage has an unusual group of...

Abolition Bill Clears New Mexico Committee

Posted on January 30, 2009
"Death Peanlty Repeal Clears House Panel," is the AP report via the Albuquerque Journal.A murder victim's wife and the mother of an executed murderer urged lawmakers to abolish New Mexico's death penalty as a House committee endorsed the repeal. The....

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Maryland Lawmakers Discuss Road to Death Penalty Repeal

Posted on January 30, 2009
That's the title of today's Baltimore Sun article written by Julie Bykowicz and Gadi Dechter. It's subtitled, "O'Malley wants 'fair up or down vote' this year."After Gov. Martin O'Malley called for a "fair up or down vote" on the death...

Death Penalty Debate in Nebraska

Posted on January 30, 2009
"Both sides speak out on death penalty," is Paul Hammel's report in today's Omaha World-Herald.The son of one of the five people gunned down in a Norfolk bank spoke forcefully Thursday in support of Nebraska's death penalty. "My name is...

Legislators Changing Georgia Indigent Defense

Posted on January 30, 2009
Again today there is a string of legislative news from several states, and I will break them out into individual posts. Let's begin in Georgia. "Senate panel votes to defang public defender council's board," is Bill Rankin's report in today's...

Alison Nathan to the White House

Posted on January 30, 2009
Alison Nathan, formerly a visiting professor at Fordham University School of Law, is now a member of the White House Counsel's Office, as noted in this BLT post.Alison Nathan, previously the Fritz Alexander Fellow at New York University School of...

Execution Watch

Posted on January 29, 2009
Because of tonight's scheduled execution, Houston's KPFT-FM will host Execution Watch on the web and it's HD radio broadcast signal beginning at 6:00 p.m. (CT), tonight.

More From the States

Posted on January 29, 2009
There is also news from Colorado, Alaska, and Missouri. "Bill targets Colorado's death penalty," is in today's Denver Post.There are many questions that Charles Alvin Johnson may never see answered about the death of his daughter Regina, who was strangled...

Is New Mexico Poised to Abolish?

Posted on January 29, 2009
"The End of the Death Penalty?" is the report in the alt-weekly Alibi.In 2005 and 2007, Gail Chasey?s legislation suffered stinging defeats.The Democratic representative from Albuquerque saw her bill to end capital punishment languish in the Senate Judiciary Committee...

In Nebraska

Posted on January 29, 2009
"Nebraska lawmakers will hear death penalty debate," is the AP report via the Fremont Tribune.State lawmakers will hear testimony on a proposal to let Nebraska put inmates to death by lethal injection.Members of the Legislature's Judiciary Committee are holding a...

In Maryland

Posted on January 29, 2009
"Move May Aid Death Penalty Repeal Bill," is the report in today's Washington Post. With Gov. Martin O'Malley making repeal of the death penalty a top priority this year, lawmakers might invoke a rarely used parliamentary maneuver to spring his...

The Texas Legislature

Posted on January 29, 2009
In Texas, both the House and Senate are organizing. Yesterday, the House adopted its rules (HR 2 begins on page 77 of the House Journal) for the 81st Regular Session of the Texas Legislature. Neither the Lt. Governor nor the...

Texas Execution

Posted on January 29, 2009
Texas carried out its fourth execution of 2009, last night in Huntsville; the 427th in the state since 1982. It was the sixth execution in the nation this year; the 1,142nd execution in the nation since executions resumed in 1977.The...

New Blawgs

Posted on January 28, 2009
My ABA Journal Tech Report e-mail notes new blawgs in, "Readers Make Their Choices."Several are already linked in the left-column webroll, but I'm adding Jonathan Turley's, whose blog was selected by ABA Journal readers as "Best Legal Theory" blawg.

State Legislative Roundup

Posted on January 28, 2009
There is news today from North Carolina, Nebraska, and Virginia.In North Carolina, The Raleigh News & Observer has, "12 issues that will present serious challenges."DEATH PENALTY - North Carolina is in the third year of a de facto moratorium on...

Ted Cruz Files Papers Enabling Run for Texas Attorney General - UPDATED

Posted on January 28, 2009
That's the title of Mary Alice Robbins' report for Texas Lawyer. LINKTed Cruz, the state's former solicitor general, has taken the first steps toward mounting a campaign to run for Texas attorney general in 2010. Cruz, now a partner in...

Texas Execution

Posted on January 28, 2009
Texas is scheduled to execute Virgil Martinez tonight in Huntsville. It would be the fourth execution in Texas this year, and the sixth execution in the nation in 2009. AP has, "Execution set for Wednesday for convicted killer," by Mickael...

Tone at the Top: New Harris County DA Outlines Policy Changes

Posted on January 28, 2009
That's the title of a Texas Lawyer report by Miriam Rozen from the January 12 issue. LINKPat Lykos, who was sworn in as Harris County district attorney on Jan. 1, pledged during her campaign to make changes to the 287-lawyer...

Catholic Mobilizing Network to End the Death Penalty

Posted on January 27, 2009
The Catholic News Service reports, "New network launched to mobilize Catholics against death penalty." It's written by Nancy Frazier O'Brien."The Catholic Mobilizing Network to End the Death Penalty, launched Jan. 25 in Harrisburg, is not just another initiative of the...

In New Mexico

Posted on January 27, 2009
The Clovis News Journal has a "Legislative Roundup," with 53 days remaining in the state's legislative session.Killing the death penalty: Rep. Gail Chasey, D- Albuquerque, on Monday introduced her bill to repeal the death penalty. House Bill 285 could be...

The Beatrice Six

Posted on January 27, 2009
In the middle of the Nebrasa's debate over whether to end a moratorium on executions by abolishing the death penalty or adopt lethal injection, a high visibility exoneration may have an impact on the legislative debate."Pardons granted to five in...

In Utah

Posted on January 27, 2009
"Shurtleff's plan to cut appeals draws judicial criticism," is Linda Thompson's report in today's Deseret News.Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said Monday that Utah's court system is so flawed because of seemingly endless appeals from convicts that "there is no...

Indigent Defense in Georgia

Posted on January 27, 2009
I'm going to start a string of state legislative roundup items with news from Georgia. Bill Rankin reports, "Defender authority may change," in Monday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Frustrated with an outspoken and critical Georgia public defender council, influential state lawmakers are moving...

Pennsylvania Justices: OK to Execute 'Mentally Deficient' People

Posted on January 27, 2009
That's the title of an article from Law.com's Legal Intelligencer today. The ruling in the case of Pennsylvania v. Vandivner is here. Leo Strupczewski's news report is here.In a decision that may prove to be a lightning rod in the...

Lisa Falkenberg on Swearingen Case

Posted on January 27, 2009
The Houston Chronicle columnist's latest is, "Innocent plea needs court hearing." Here's an extended excerpt of this must-read commentary:If evidence shows Larry Ray Swearingen is innocent, but there?s no court that will hear it, does actual innocence even matter? That...

Additional News Coverage of Swearingen Stay

Posted on January 27, 2009
The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals order, In Re: Larry Ray Swearingen, is here."Court halts Swearingen execution," is Chuck Lindell's report in today's Austin American-Statesman.A federal appeals court Monday halted tonight's planned execution of Larry Swearingen, giving his lawyers...

Austin American-Statesman on the Swearingen Stay

Posted on January 27, 2009
"U.S. Court stops execution that Texas courts wouldn't," is the editorial in today's Austin American-Statesman.Once again, a federal court has had to intervene to prevent Texas from executing a death row inmate whose conviction is in doubt. The 5th U...

Todd Willingham

Posted on January 26, 2009
"Texas hires arson expert to study fatal 1991 fire for which Cameron Todd Willingham was executed," is Steve Mills' report in today's Chicago Tribune.In 2004, four fire experts told the Chicago Tribune that the fire that had sent Cameron Todd...

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