November 1, 1950: Truman Escapes Assassination

Nov 1, 2012 5:40 AM CDT

New Stay Granted for Inmate Claiming ‘Grandiose Delusion’ Bars His Execution

A federal appeals court granted a temporary stay of execution on Tuesday for a Florida inmate who believes he is the “prince of God.” The U.S. Supreme Court refused to vacate the stay delaying the execution of John Errol Ferguson by the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, report…

Oct 24, 2012 12:17 PM CDT

11th Circuit Lifts Execution Stay for Mass Murderer; ABA Prez Calls for Review of Insanity Claims

Updated: A federal appeals court has vacated a stay of execution for a Florida inmate who believes he is the “prince of God” and he will return to earth after his lethal injection. In a 2-1 decision (PDF), the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a federal judge…

Oct 23, 2012 5:40 PM CDT

Federal Judge Stays Execution of Mass Murderer Who Thinks He Is Prince of God

Lawyers for a Florida inmate who believes he is the “prince of God” have won a hearing to determine whether he is competent to be executed. U.S. District Judge Daniel T. K. Hurley of Miami granted a stay of execution on Saturday for John Errol Ferguson, who was convicted of…

Oct 22, 2012 2:42 PM CDT

Lawyer Blasted by Ky. Judge Who Called Case ‘Ridiculous,’ Client a ‘Carcass’ Now Seeks His Removal

A lawyer who was blasted by a senior Kentucky judge during a videotaped hearing that has generated much comment from observers has now filed a removal motion seeking a new jurist to oversee his client’s motion for a new trial in a capital murder case. “It is my opinion that…

Oct 16, 2012 9:58 PM CDT

Expect Jail Time, Judge Tells Prospective Juror Who Googled Murder Defendant, Flouting Written Order

Earlier this year a Florida judge had to declare a mistrial in a high-profile murder case after multiple members of the jury pool gossiped with each other about the defendant during breaks in the selection process. So when he recently began a new first-degree murder trial involving a different defendant,…

Oct 11, 2012 6:28 PM CDT

See the Video: Angry Judge Blasts ‘Backseat Driver’ Appellate Counsel in High-Profile Murder Case

Updated: In an action-packed Sept. 28 hearing, a Kentucky senior judge blasts an appellate lawyer seeking a new trial for his client in a high-profile murder case. As the camera rolls, retired Jefferson Circuit Judge Martin McDonald repeatedly criticizes assistant public advocate David Barron and cuts him off as he…

Oct 9, 2012 7:37 PM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: SCOTUSblog Hits 10-Year Mark; Building an Affordable Suit Wardrobe

Landmark Log-in Ten years ago this First Monday, SCOTUSBlog was born. Tom Goldstein and (his wife) Amy Howe’s blog “had 30 hits, and [we] were astonished; really, we were too embarrassed to quit, once we had a few readers,” Goldstein wrote at SCOTUSBlog. “Almost a decade later, on the day…

Oct 5, 2012 2:30 PM CDT

DNA Evidence Frees 300th Inmate; Sleepiness and Hunger Spurred Confession

A death-row inmate released from a Louisiana prison on Friday is the 300th inmate to be freed nationwide based on DNA evidence. Damon Thibodeaux had served 15 years in prison after confessing to the 1996 rape and murder of his step-cousin, report the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.…

Oct 1, 2012 2:51 PM CDT

Texas Man Who Received Three Stays of Execution Is Executed

Cleve Foster’s luck ran out Tuesday. Foster, 48, who had received three stays of execution, was executed after the U.S. Supreme Court turned down his fourth request for a stay, ThomsonReuters reports. The former Army recruiter was pronounced dead at 6:43 p.m. local time at the Texas state penitentiary in…

Sep 27, 2012 7:58 PM CDT

Man Facing Execution Next Week Says Prosecutors Hid Mitigating Evidence at Sentencing

A Philadelphia man facing execution next week for a 1984 murder claims prosecutors hid evidence at his sentencing that he had been sexually abused by the man he was convicted of killing. Terrance Williams, 46, says the evidence, which was only turned over to the defense on Monday, corroborates his…

Sep 27, 2012 5:54 PM CDT

Costs and Lack of Closure Cause Onetime Death Penalty Supporters to Switch Sides

A lawyer who helped draft a 1978 ballot measure to expand California’s death penalty is among those who’ve switched sides in the capital punishment debate. Donald Heller tells the Los Angeles Times that he began speaking out against the death penalty in the state because he believes a “factually innocent”…

Sep 24, 2012 1:49 PM CDT

Abbreviated Trial Required for Prof Who Pleaded Guilty to Killing 3 Colleagues

Jury selection is set to begin Monday morning in the case of a University of Alabama Huntsville professor accused of shooting three colleagues in 2010. Amy Bishop pleaded guilty to the charges two weeks ago in a deal that spared her a death sentence. But Alabama law requires capital cases…

Sep 24, 2012 11:54 AM CDT

11th Circuit Upholds Death Sentence Despite Jurors’ Bawdy Chocolate Gifts

An Atlanta-based federal appeals court has upheld a death sentence for a Georgia man despite the jurors’ chocolate gag gifts to the judge and bailiff. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to grant a new trial for Marcus Wellons, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. In a unanimous opinion, the…

Sep 20, 2012 1:06 PM CDT

At 480 Pounds, Inmate Says He Is Too Fat for Lethal Injection

An Ohio inmate who weighs 480 pounds says he should not be subjected to lethal injection because his death could be “torturous and lingering.” Ronald Post is scheduled to die in January for killing a hotel clerk in 1983, the Associated Press reports. He says in court documents filed Friday…

Sep 18, 2012 2:51 PM CDT