The U.S. Supreme Court is wrapping up its 2015-2016 term this week. Starting all the way back at the beginning of last October, the Court decided two particularly noteworthy death penalty-related cases this term, and agreed to hear a third during its 2016-2017 term. Read More
On, Monday, June 6, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that it would review the case of Buck v. Stephens—a case involving Duane Buck, a Texas man who was sentenced to death after his own lawyer inexplicably introduced an expert who testified that he would pose a future danger to society if only sentenced to life imprisonment (and the fact that he was black only increased that likelihood). Read More
On May 23, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Foster v. Chatman that Timothy Foster established purposeful racial discrimination in the prosecution’s dismissal of two black jurors during jury selection at his trial. Read More
We have compiled a list of valuable books for your reading list that discuss capital punishment, the criminal justice system, and social reform. Read More
Last week, in Hurst v. Florida, the Supreme Court ruled that Florida’s capital sentencing scheme was unconstitutional. Read More
Linda Greenhouse delves into the Connecticut Supreme Court’s recent ruling that the death penalty violates the state’s constitution. Read More
The Supreme Court has issued a ruling on the use of midazolam in executions. Read More
The Atlantic offers a detailed look at the horrific 2014 execution of Clayton Lockett in Oklahoma. Read More
John D. Bessler, of the University of Baltimore School of Law, discusses new changes in the evolution of capital punishment Read More
1998 Pulitzer Prize winner Linda Greenhouse has written a compelling op-ed in the New York Times today on the Supreme Court’s inconsistent and often bewildering approach to death penalty cases. Read More
Earlier this week, the American Pharmacists Association voted to discourage pharmacists from participating in executions. They joined the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists which adopted a similar resolution last week. Read More
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We have a new opportunity to craft a better vision — one that reflects the strengths of our diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Read More
On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called for a national moratorium on executions while the Supreme Court revisits lethal injection…He is absolutely right. We need to go further. It’s time to stop executions once and for all. Read More
The Florida Supreme Court granted a stay of execution on Tuesday to Jerry Correll pending the U.S. Supreme Court review of the use of midazolam as a lethal injection drug. Read More
As executions decline, who is actually being executed – the worst of the worst criminals? Far from it. In fact, instead of the worst of the worst, you could say it’s often the least culpable; people with Intellectual Disabilities and severe mental illness. Read More
“Democracies die behind closed doors. When the government begins closing doors, it selectively controls information rightfully belonging to the people. Selective information is misinformation.”— Judge Damon J. Keith, 2002. Read More
On May 19th, in a 5-0 unanimous ruling, the Delaware Supreme Court overturned the conviction of death row prisoner Jermaine Wright, citing a “miscarriage of justice.” Read More
Yesterday the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in the case of Hall v. Florida. NCADP’s Executive Director, Diann Rust-Tierney, summarized the issue before the court in her recent blog about the case. Read More
More than a decade ago, the Supreme Court ruled in Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304 (2002) that the eighth amendment categorically forbids people with intellectual disabilities from being sentenced to death and executed. States were charged with the appropriate role of setting procedures to enforce and give effect to this Constitutional protection. Read More
Alabama is one of three states (Delaware and Florida are the others) that allow judges to override a jury’s sentencing decision in capital cases and issue a death sentence despite the jury’s recommendation to the contrary. On November 18, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case of Mario Woodward who was sentenced by an Alabama judge to death despite an 8-4 jury vote at trial against it. According to news accounts, the jury’s decision was influenced by multiple mitigating factors, including the importance of Woodward’s relationship with his children. Read More