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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

Death Sentences Really Just Life Terms

Posted on January 13, 2010
That's not a Texas headline -- it's the title of Riley Yates's report from the Allentown Morning Call of Pennsylvania. It appeared in the Sunday edition. It's subtitled, "Records show executions in state are few, far between as legal hurdles...

An Update From Montana

Posted on January 13, 2010
Jennifer McKee files, "Execution chamber won't move, state Corrections Department now says," for today's Missoulian. Montana's execution chamber, an old renovated, single-wide trailer house, is not going anywhere, despite a recent judge's order indicating the beige, metal building was to...

News Coverage of Smith v. Spisak Ruling

Posted on January 13, 2010
The Supreme Court ruling is here, in Adobe .pdf format. The ScotusWiki file, with all briefing, is here. Today's New York Times carries the AP report, "Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Ohio neo-Nazi." The Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated for...

Texas Execution

Posted on January 13, 2010
Texas carried out its second execution of 2010, last night in Huntsville. It was the 449th Texas execution since 1982; the 210th execution conducted under Governor Rick Perry. Texas has far and away the most active death chamber in America,...

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Opinion Roundup

Posted on January 12, 2010
Natasha Minsker of the ACLU of Northern California writes, "Need to Trim Corrections Spending, Governor? Stop Wasting Money on the Death Penalty!" for the California Progress Report. If Gov. Schwarzenegger thinks he can cut $3.5 billion from state spending on...

News Coverage of Briscoe v. Virginia

Posted on January 12, 2010
At issue is a defendant's right to confront witnesses. In it's last term, the Supreme Court issued Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts, making it clear that lab analysts must be available to testify and face cross-examination about test results. Briscoe v...

Montana to Retire Old Execution Chamber

Posted on January 12, 2010
Today's Billings Gazette reports, "Montana to build multipurpose execution site." It's written by Jennifer McKee. The execution chamber at Montana State Prison ? a decades-old, single-wide trailer house retrofitted to accommodate lethal injections ? will be taken apart and hauled...

Lawyers Challenge Ohio on Executions

Posted on January 12, 2010
That's the title of Ian Urbina's report in today's New York Times. LINK Proper training of prison officials could have prevented a botched execution in Ohio last year that led the state to overhaul its method of execution, lawyers for...

Texas Execution

Posted on January 12, 2010
Texas is scheduled to carry out its second execution of 2010, tonight in Huntsville. It would be the 449th Texas execution since 1982. It will be the 210th execution conducted under Governor Rick Perry. Texas has far and away the...

Kenneth Dewayne Thomas

Posted on January 12, 2010
"Condemned Dallas man loses at US Supreme Court," is the title of Michael Graczyk's AP report, via the Dallas Morning News. The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to review an appeal from a condemned Dallas man, moving him closer to...

Deeper Look Shows Even More Cases of Unequal Justice

Posted on January 11, 2010
That's the title of John Seigenthaler's followup article in the Sunday edition of the Tennessean. LINK A news story published here Dec. 20 under my byline reported critically on the striking differences in sentences that state judges and juries gave....

New Hampshire Death Penalty Commission Developments

Posted on January 11, 2010
"N.H. House rule change shuts out the public," by Michael McCord is from Sea Coast Online. A vote Wednesday to change rules in the state House of Representatives has left at least two Seacoast lawmakers puzzled. Both Democratic and Republican...

More State Legislatures Gearing Up

Posted on January 11, 2010
In addition to Kansas, there are news stories and an editorial regarding legislative sessions gearing up in Connecticut, Maryland, and Virginia. The Sunday Norwich Bulletin addressed Connecticut's agenda in, "Here's how to fix state." This morning, we?d like to offer...

In Kansas

Posted on January 11, 2010
Today's Christian Science Monitor carries the editorial, "Switching off the death penalty: This month, Kansas considers dropping the death penalty. It should join the national trend and abandon capital punishment." This month, the Kansas Legislature is expected to begin hearings...

Editorial Roundup

Posted on January 11, 2010
There are editorials from California, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and North Carolina. The Pocono Record also has a relevant column. The Long Beach Press-Telegram carries the editorial, "Death penalty needs reforms." The editorial originally appeared last week in the Silicon Valley...

Louisiana Lethal Injection Challenge Dismissed

Posted on January 11, 2010
"La. judge refuses killer's plea to halt executions," is the title of Mary Foster's AP report, via the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Hours after Louisiana conducted its first execution in eight years, a state judge on Friday dismissed a request to...

New Questions Raised in Ohio's Botched Execution Attempt

Posted on January 11, 2010
Andrew Welsh-Huggins writes the AP report, "Filing: Improper prep before failed Ohio execution," via the Washington Post. One of the executioners involved in last year's botched attempt to put a man to death was under-trained and failed to attend all...

Beyler to Teestify at House Hearing This Morning

Posted on January 11, 2010
In less than 10 minutes, the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee is set to meet, and arson expert Craig Beyler will be one of the witnesses. "Fire expert expected to testify in House hearing," is the AP report in today's Dallas...

In Louisiana

Posted on January 11, 2010
"Louisiana has seen dramatic decline in executions, in line with national trend," is the title of the New Orleans Times-Picayne report written by Michelle Krupa and Katy Reckdahl. In 1987, eight men were electrocuted at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in...

Virginia Governor on Capital Punishment

Posted on January 08, 2010
"Kaine: A look back," by Jim Nolan appears in today's Stafford County Sun of Virginia. It?s just before 7:30 a.m. on a December Monday, and the fog in Richmond is so thick that the twin-engine plane in which Gov. Timothy...

Solitary Watch

Posted on January 08, 2010
That's the name of a new blog, subtitled, "News from a Nation in Lockdown." From the site's About section: This Solitary Watch News site is part of an emerging project called Solitary Watch, which will serve as the first centralized...

In California

Posted on January 08, 2010
Today's Silicon Valley Mercury News carries the editorial, "California's death penalty needs substantial reforms." California corrections officials Tuesday proposed new lethal injection procedures designed to allow executions to resume after a four-year moratorium...

Editorial & Commentary on ALI Action

Posted on January 08, 2010
The American Law Institute's new position on capital punishment is garnering attention by writers coast-to-coast. Today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch carries the editorial, "Death penalty loses legitimacy as top lawyers distance themselves." Lawyers think no problem has been invented that they...

Renee Feltz on Huffington Post

Posted on January 08, 2010
The former news director of Houston's KFPA, now based in New York, has just posted, "Texas Keeps Retarded Men on Death Row," at Huffington Post. It's an extended excerpt from her Texas Observer article, noted in the preceding post. An...

Cracked

Posted on January 08, 2010
That's the title of Renee Feltz must-read report in the newly redesigned Texas Observer. It's subtitled, "Despite a U.S. Supreme Court ban, Texas has continued to send mentally retarded criminals to death row. Will a Mexican immigrant's case correct this...

Texas Execution

Posted on January 08, 2010
Texas carried out its first execution of 2010, last night in Huntsville. It was the 448th Texas execution since 1982. Texas has far and away the most active death chamber in America, accounting for more than 37% of the nation's...

Baptist Coverage of DPIC Report

Posted on January 08, 2010
"Reports says use of death penalty on decline in United States," is the title of Bob Allen's report for the Associated Baptist Press. Fewer death sentences were imposed in 2009 than in any year since the Supreme Court reinstated capital...

Texas Attorney General Rules in Favor of Poshumous Pardon Authority

Posted on January 07, 2010
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot today issued Opinion GA-0754 regarding the authority of a Texas governor to issue a posthumous pardon. It's also available in Adobe .pdf format. Here's the summary: The Texas Constitution does not expressly address or limit...

State Legislative Roundup

Posted on January 07, 2010
The Texas Legislature does not return in regular session until January 2011, following this year's November general election. Many states, however, have regular sessions. There is fresh news from Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas. "Coalition calls for execution moratorium," is the...

New Hampshire House Rejects Late Consideration of Death Penalty Expansion Bill

Posted on January 07, 2010
"NH lawmakers reject expansion of death penalty," is the title of Kevin Landrigan's Nashua Telegraph report. The New Hampshire House of Representatives rejected legislation filed in the wake of the Mont Vernon murders that would have expanded the death penalty...

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