July 14, 1921: Sacco and Vanzetti Convicted

Jul 1, 2011 5:10 AM CDT

Two Lawyers Awarded $100K Each for Fighting Intolerance

Two lawyers and three civil rights groups will be awarded $100,000 each for their efforts to fight intolerance. The lawyers are Barbara Arnwine, the executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; and Morris Dees, a founder and chief trial counsel of the Southern Poverty Law Center.…

Jun 29, 2011 1:51 PM CDT

High Court Asked to Stay Execution of Mexican National

Lawyers for a Mexican national on Texas’ death row petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court today for a stay of the inmate’s scheduled July 7 execution. The petition (PDF) has the backing of the Mexican government, which is expected to file an amicus brief in the case later today calling on…

Jun 28, 2011 5:52 PM CDT

Lawyers for Casey Anthony Question Her Competency, Cite Death Penalty Ruling

Lawyers for Casey Anthony are citing a Miami federal judge’s ruling striking down Florida’s death penalty procedure. The defense says the judge presiding in Anthony’s case should declare a mistrial and “begin jury selection anew with a non death-qualified jury,” the Huffington Post reports. It is one of two defense…

Jun 28, 2011 3:20 PM CDT

Lawyer Seeks Probe After Execution Using Animal Sedative Goes Awry

A lawyer is raising questions about an animal sedative used as a replacement drug in lethal injections after his client’s execution went awry on Thursday night. The Georgia inmate, Roy Blankenship, was executed with the use of pentobarbital, substituted because of a shortage of the sedative sodium thiopental, the Atlanta…

Jun 27, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Federal Judge Rules Florida Death Penalty Procedure Is Unconstitutional

A Florida judge has struck down Florida’s death penalty procedure in which jurors make a capital sentencing recommendation without clear factual findings on aggravating factors. U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez said the procedure violates Supreme Court precedent in Ring v. Arizona that requires jurors to make findings on factors that…

Jun 23, 2011 12:04 PM CDT

Death Penalty in Calif. Costs $308M Per Execution, Say Law Prof and Federal Appellate Judge

In the more than 30 years since the death penalty was reinstated in California, it has cost the public about $308 million per execution on the 13 occasions it was imposed, says a study by a law professor and a federal appeals court judge. And the cost will continue to…

Jun 20, 2011 6:33 PM CDT

Judge in Casey Anthony Trial Warns Lawyers of Possible Sanctions, Threatens to Cut Lunch Breaks

A visibly irked judge in a high-profile Orlando, Fla., murder trial warned lawyers for both sides that he will consider possible legal ethics sanctions once the case concludes if their “gamesmanship” continues. Judge Belvin Perry also threatened to start the day earlier in Casey Anthony’s first-degree murder trial and cut…

Jun 20, 2011 6:09 PM CDT

Casey Anthony’s Lawyer Suffers Some ‘Courtroom Mishaps’

Casey Anthony’s lawyer Jose Baez is taking some hits from legal analysts analyzing the legal play-by-play of the murder trial unfolding in a Florida courtroom. Baez exudes confidence, but he has suffered some “courtroom mishaps,” the Orlando Sentinel reports. In one instance, Judge Belvin Perry had to remind Baez that…

Jun 6, 2011 2:02 PM CDT

Supreme Court Allows Execution of Texas Inmate to Proceed

The U.S. Supreme Court has lifted a stay of execution for a Texas death row inmate who has twice come close to being executed in the past five months. Cleve Foster, a 47-year-old former Army recruiter, was sentenced to death in 2004 for the 2002 murder of a 28-year-old woman…

Jun 3, 2011 8:36 PM CDT

A Real-Life Grisham Story: Denial of Jury Award Marks Disappointing Postscript to Death Row Release

Jun 1, 2011 7:09 AM CDT

Psychopath Test Determines Fate of Some Criminals

A psychopath checklist developed by a Canadian psychologist is determining the fate of criminals in America. Robert Hare developed the test based on his study of psychopaths that began in the 1960s, NPR reports. At the time, he tells NPR, the conventional wisdom was that environment, not inborn personality, made…

May 31, 2011 11:00 AM CDT

Prosecutors Look to Social Media for Selecting Casey Anthony Jurors

Prosecutors trying Casey Anthony, a 25-year-old Florida woman charged with murdering her young daughter, were armed with Internet information during a special Saturday jury selection, checking out panel members’ social media profiles during voir dire. According to the Associated Press, prosecutors in the high-profile case used a peremptory challenge to…

May 16, 2011 3:54 PM CDT

Casey Anthony Prosecutors Want Jurors with a Good Sense of Smell; Defense Denies Scolding Client

As jury selection continued in the Casey Anthony case on Thursday, lawyers hinted at strategies and a defense lawyer complained about media reports of a client scolding. Defense lawyer Jose Baez asked a Florida judge to turn off the microphones after media reports said he told his client to stop…

May 13, 2011 12:10 PM CDT

Motion Seeks Ouster of Prosecutor for ‘Get What He Deserves’ Media Comment

Lawyers for an inmate whose death sentence was overturned due to misconduct by a Texas District Attorney’s office are seeking to oust one of the original prosecutors from a new sentencing hearing. Lawyers for Delma Banks Jr. say the entire Bowie County DA’s office should be tossed from the case,…

May 11, 2011 10:30 AM CDT