Death Sentence Upheld in ‘92 Court Murder; Judge, 2 Lawyers, 5 Others Also Targeted in Shooting

Convicted, after a lengthy procedural history that included three competency hearings and two trials, in the 1992 murder of his wife during a courtroom divorce hearing, a Missouri man shot twice in the head in the fray has lost a pro se appeal focused largely on claimed failures by his…

Apr 17, 2012 10:17 PM CDT

Review Found FBI Hair Analysis Flaws in 250 Cases, But DOJ Didn’t Inform Defendants and Public

An inspector general’s nine-year review of misconduct at the FBI crime lab found forensic flaws in hair analysis, but the results of the probe that ended in 2004 were revealed only to prosecutors. The Justice Department did not separately inform defendants whose cases could be affected, including one Maryland man…

Apr 17, 2012 12:00 PM CDT

Criminal Defense Lawyer Plays Role of Killer in Award-Winning Independent Film

If criminal defense attorney Kevin Broughton was ordering his final meal on Earth, he’d want it to include frog legs. But when asked to order on behalf of his character, a twisted Mississippi killer headed to execution in Old Oak, he opted for fried chicken, pork chops, black-eyed peas, cornbread…

Apr 10, 2012 3:43 PM CDT

‘Devil in the Grove’ Author Discusses Early Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Case

Welcome to the ABA Journal's new podcast, The Modern Law Library. On the second and fourth Mondays of each month, we will discuss a law-related book with its author and listen to a short excerpt. In today's podcast, ABA Journal Web producer Lee Rawles speaks with Gilbert King about his recently released book "Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America".

Apr 9, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

Life from Death Row: Inmates Want to Donate Organs, But State Disagrees

Apr 1, 2012 9:00 AM CDT

Murder Case Defense Seeks Disqualification of Ga. Judge Who Attended Funeral of Slain Cop

Attorneys defending a man accused in a death-penalty case of murdering a police officer are seeking the recusal of the Georgia judge overseeing the case, arguing that he can’t be impartial because he knew the victim and attended his funeral. But rather than step down voluntarily, Western Judicial Circuit Chief…

Mar 27, 2012 10:55 PM CDT

Federal Judge Says FDA Acted ‘Contrary to Law’ By OKing Foreign Execution Drug for Prison Use

Siding with death-row inmates in Arizona, California, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ruled that the Food and Drug Administration acted in a manner that was “contrary to law, arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion” by allowing an unapproved execution drug manufactured overseas…

Mar 27, 2012 8:52 PM CDT

Supreme Court to Decide on Competency Delays in Death-Row Habeas Cases

Updated: The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether death-row inmates with mental health problems are entitled to delays in their habeas proceedings. The court granted cert today in two cases raising the issue, the Associated Press reports. SCOTUSblog links to the cert petition (PDF) filed by Arizona in…

Mar 19, 2012 4:24 PM CDT

Gov’t Seeks Death Penalty for Grandma, Says She Urged Girl, 9, to Run for Hours

An Alabama prosecutor is seeking the death penalty in a murder case against a 46-year-old grandmother accused of forcing a 9-year-old girl, with the cooperation of the child’s stepmother, to run as punishment until she suffered a seizure and died. Joyce Garrard is facing a capital murder charge in the…

Mar 15, 2012 4:33 PM CDT

Death Row Inmate Challenges Oregon Gov’s Order Giving Him an Execution Reprieve

Sentenced to death but given a reprieve by a state governor who says there will be no executions on his watch, an Oregon inmate is challenging the suspension of his death sentence. Gary Haugen, through his legal counsel, is challenging as unconstitutional Gov. John Kitzhaber’s reprieve order, contending that it…

Mar 14, 2012 9:08 PM CDT

Prosecutor Resigns in Wake of Federal Judge’s Reversal of Capital Murder Case Conviction

Criticized last week by a federal judge for his conduct in a capital murder case, a Virginia prosecutor announced today that he would resign, effective tomorrow. “It is not an easy decision,” says the letter provided by Culpeper County Commonwealth’s Attorney Gary Close to the Star-Exponent. “My inclination is to…

Mar 12, 2012 10:22 PM CDT

Mom Takes Job with Lawyer to Help Son Win Reversal of Capital Murder Conviction

Updated: A man who was 15 years old when a 74-year-old woman was shot to death in 1996 has won the reversal of his capital murder conviction with the help of his mother, who took a job in a lawyer’s office to help him pursue an appeal. A federal judge…

Mar 5, 2012 8:47 PM CST

Kagan Opinion Hits Government ‘Inventiveness’ on Substitute Counsel Standard

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against a California inmate who contends he should have been permitted to change his court-appointed counsel just two weeks before a federal court denied his 10-year-old habeas petition. Justice Elena Kagan wrote the unanimous opinion (PDF) finding that a federal court did not abuse…

Mar 5, 2012 3:56 PM CST

Interviews with Soon to Be Executed Prisoners Are a Big Hit on Chinese TV

A television show that broadcasts interviews with inmates taped days or even minutes before their executions has turned into a big hit in China. The prime time show, Interviews Before Executions, is intended to warn citizens of the consequences of crime, the Daily Mail reports. Scenes from the show, which…

Mar 5, 2012 3:14 PM CST

Old Case, New Evidence: Attorney Unearths New Evidence in Book on Sacco-Vanzetti Affair

Mar 1, 2012 10:10 AM CST