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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

Florida Roundup - Innocence Commission Created; Lethal Injection News

Posted on July 02, 2010
The Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court has signed an administrative order creating a state Innocence Commission. The Court announcement is here. On July 2, 2010, Chief Justice Charles T. Canady issued an Administrative Order establishing an Innocence Commission...

Texas Execution

Posted on July 02, 2010
Texas carried out its 14th execution of the year, last night in Huntsville. It was the state's 461st execution since 1982. Texas has far and away the most active death chamber in America, accounting for more than 37% of the...

New Laws Effective in Several States Today

Posted on July 01, 2010
"New laws for guns, smoking, drinking and texting," is the title of an AP report via Google News. Criminal Justice: Virginia expands eligibility for the death penalty to include those who kill on-duty auxiliary police officers or fire marshals. Oklahoma...

The Criminal Brain

Posted on July 01, 2010
That's the title of a three-part series broadcast on NPR Morning Edition, this week. The series concluded today. Each was written by Barbara Bradley Hagerty. You can listen to the full reports at the links, or read the transcripts. There...

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The Death Penalty Fizzles Again

Posted on July 01, 2010
That's the title of a blog post at the Albany Times-Union by David Kaczynski. LINK He's the Executive Director of New Yorkers for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. Probably no one outside his family will cry any tears over Ronell...

More on Georgia Mental Retardation Ruling

Posted on July 01, 2010
Today's Fulton County Daily Report has, "11th Circuit: Ga. Law Violates Eighth Amendment Rights of Mentally Retarded Death Penalty Defendants," by R. Robin McDonald. A Georgia law requiring that mentally retarded death penalty defendants, in order to avoid execution, must...

The Case of Juan Lizcano

Posted on July 01, 2010
The current issue of the Dallas Observer takes a lengthy examination of the case of Juan Lizcano. It's titled, "The State of Texas Cannot Execute The Mentally Retarded, But That May Not Prevent A Dallas Cop Killer From Being Put...

Texas Execution

Posted on July 01, 2010
Texas is scheduled to carry out its 14th execution of the year, tonight in Huntsville. It would be the state's 461st execution since 1982. Texas has far and away the most active death chamber in America, accounting for more than...

Nebraska Execution Chamber Remodeled

Posted on June 30, 2010
"Lethal injection table ready," is the title of Paul Hammel's report in the Omaha World-Herald. Physically, the state is ready to carry out executions again. State corrections officials said Tuesday that the remodeling of the death chamber at the Nebraska...

More on Phan v. The State

Posted on June 30, 2010
Law.com's Fulton County Daily Report today carries, "Ga. Capital Case Revives Controversy Over State's Public Defender System." It's written by Janet L. Conley. It's a must-read for those following Georgia's indigent defense crisis. In an opinion that once again raises...

Sears v. Upton

Posted on June 30, 2010
In its final batch or orders, released yesterday, the Supreme Court instructeded Georgia to examine the above styled case for ineffective assistance of council. Sears v. Upton begins on page 5 of the Adobe .pdf document. Today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports,...

Dems' Caution Over Capital Punishment

Posted on June 30, 2010
That's the title of an editorial in today's Dallas Morning News regarding the platform of the Texas Democratic Party, adopted at its state convention. LINK How much caution is too much when it comes to exercising the power of life...

Texas Execution

Posted on June 30, 2010
Texas is scheduled to carry out its 14th execution of the year, tonight in Huntsville. It would be the state's 461st execution since 1982. Texas has far and away the most active death chamber in America, accounting for more than...

Texas CCA Stays Green Execution - UPDATED

Posted on June 30, 2010
An updated AP report has been filed, "Killer of 12-year-old girl wins execution reprieve." Green's lawyers were in the courts as his execution neared, contending his delusions and mental illness made him ineligible for execution and that he was entitled...

Another Georgia Indigent Defense Bellweather

Posted on June 29, 2010
"Court sends death-penalty case back to Gwinnett," is the title of Bill Rankin's report in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday declined to bar Gwinnett County prosecutors from seeking the death penalty because the state had been...

Supreme Court Will Not Review Missouri Lethal Injection Case

Posted on June 29, 2010
The AP reports, "Supreme Court won't hear Missouri execution case." It's written by Jim Salter, via the Kansas City Star. The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to hear a case questioning the constitutionality of Missouri's death penalty method, and Missouri...

Supreme Court Refuses to Examine Three Texas Cases

Posted on June 29, 2010
"US Supreme Court upholds Texas death convictions," is the title of Michael Graczyk's AP report via the Houston Chronicle. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld death sentences for two Texas inmates, including a man accused of leading a gang...

More on the Linda Carty Case

Posted on June 28, 2010
"Linda Carty, a British woman on death row in America, says that her last hope may be an appeal for clemency by David Cameron" is the Guardian article reported by Ruth Hill in Gatesville, Texas. Gatesville is a tiny town...

More on Capital Costs in California

Posted on June 28, 2010
James Clark posts, "Cut This: The Death Penalty," at Huffington Post. Clark is field organizer for the ACLU of Southern California. California's governor has proposed closing the state's $20 billion budget gap with a drastic cuts-only approach; slashing funding for...

Richard Dieter on the Utah Execution

Posted on June 28, 2010
"Firing squad execution underscores inhumanity of death penalty," is the title of Richard Dieter's commentary at Jurist. He's the Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center. Gardner got the kind of execution he wanted--death by firing squad--and Utah finally...

Death Row Defender

Posted on June 28, 2010
That's the title of an editorial in the Sunday Houston Chronicle. It's subtitled, "Those convicted of capital offenses get a much-needed advocate." With Texas far and away the leading practitioner of capital punishment in the nation, criticism of the quality...

More Reflection on the Gardner Execution

Posted on June 25, 2010
Valerie Elverton Dixon posts, "Capital punishment and the medium is the message," at the Washington Post On Faith blog. Dixon is the founder of Just Peace Theory, and has taught Christian Ethics. Here are two brief excerpts from this must-read:...

Utah Governor Wants Additional Appeal Limits

Posted on June 25, 2010
The Salt Lake Tribune reports, "Guv wants streamlined death penalty appeals." It's written by Robert Gehrke. After the state executed convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner, Gov. Gary Herbert said he wants to see the appeals process for condemned prisoners streamlined,...

Maryland Death Row Relocates

Posted on June 25, 2010
"Death row moves to western Md," is the AP report via the Frederick News Post. Corrections officials say the state?s five death row inmates were taken this week from Baltimore to western Maryland. They?ll now be housed at the North...

Tory Davis' Federal Hearing Concludes

Posted on June 25, 2010
Bill Rankin writes, "Judge must decide whether Troy Davis proved innocence in cop killing," for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In closing arguments Thursday, a member of Davis' legal team contended police rushed to judgment and got the wrong man in the...

Fifth Circuit Overturns Tyrone Williams' Sentence

Posted on June 25, 2010
The Fifth Circuit ruling in USA v. Williams is in Adobe .pdf format. "Trucker will get new sentence in smuggling case," is the title of Mike Tolson's report in the Houston Chronicle. A truck driver whose actions led to the...

Harris County Hearing Set for November 8

Posted on June 25, 2010
Juan Lozano reports, "Texas judge to hold hearing on death penalty law," for the AP, via the Houston Chronicle. Texas' use of capital punishment will undergo legal scrutiny this fall as a judge on Friday scheduled a hearing to listen...

More Commentary Following Gardner Execution

Posted on June 24, 2010
Mary Sanchez' latest Kansas City Star column is, "Prohibitive cost is a bottom-line argument against the death penalty." Keep reading if Utah?s firing squad execution last week stirred a sense of ?he got what he deserved.? Consider more details and...

Magwood v. Patterson

Posted on June 24, 2010
The Supreme Court issued its ruling in Magwood v. Patterson this morning. The opinion is in Adobe .pdf format. The ScotusWiki file is here. SCOTUS Blog reports, "Court rules in favor of capital defendant in Magwood v. Patterson." It's written...

News Coverage of the Troy Davis Hearing - Day 1

Posted on June 24, 2010
Today's New York Times carries a brief item, "Georgia: Witnesses in Murder Case Recant," by Shaila Dewan. In an unusual hearing ordered by the Supreme Court that began in Savannah on Wednesday, several witnesses said they had concocted testimony that...

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