In his New Republic article, “Why Aren’t Democratic Governors Pardoning More Prisoners?”, Matt Ford looks at how few Democratic governors pardon or commute the sentences of prisoners,
(Editor’s Note: The front page of this newsletter spells Joe Giarattano’s name incorrectly in the headline. We would correct it, but the computer program we use won’t
Check out this piece in the New Republic which looks at how (shamefully) few Democratic governors pardon or commute the sentences of prisoners, even though
Dear Governor Brown: On behalf of California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ), the statewide organization of public and private criminal defense attorneys, we are writing
California Governor Jerry Brown today ordered new tests on items from the crime scene that sent Kevin Cooper to death row in 1985. The governor’s
Momentum is building, but time is running out. We need your help for one last push. Gov. Jerry Brown, please do not leave people behind on death row when you leave office.
Six former governors called on California Gov. Jerry Brown this week to grant clemency to the 740 men and women on death row, stating that
The California Supreme Court last week unanimously reversed the death sentence for Dora Buenrostro, who was convicted of killing her three children, Susana, Vicente, and
“New death sentences and executions remained near historic lows in 2018 and a twentieth state [Washington] abolished capital punishment, as public opinion polls, election results,
When Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg asked the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals last week to resentence Bobby Moore to life in prison, she may have finally put an end to an extremely controversial and bewilderingly unscientific evaluation that the CCA has been relying on to determine whether a capital defendant is intellectually disabled. “I’m doing what I believe the law requires,” the Houston Chronicle quoted Ogg as saying.
Carlos Ayestas was sentenced to death in Texas in 1997 for the murder of 67-year-old Santiaga Paneque two years earlier. But because a judge did not allocate the funds that the federal Criminal Justice Act allows “upon a finding that investigative, expert, or other services are reasonably necessary for the representation of the defendant,” no witnesses were presented during Ayestas’ penalty phase to testify that he was a diagnozed schizophrenic,
In Texas, 47-year-old Ruben Ramirez Cardenas, a Mexican citizen, was executed on Wednesday for the 1997 killing of his 16-year-old cousin, Mayra Laguna. He was the seventh prisoner to be executed in Texas this year. ABC News reports that his execution was delayed for four hours while attorneys filed last ditch appeals for new DNA testing of trial evidence. In Florida, also on Wednesday, 53-year-old Patrick Hannon was executed for
“We have lost one of the best among us, but each day when we do something good for a client, we are renewing our connection with Rob.” Death penalty attorney Richard Burr wrote those words to the defense community in late September, shortly after his close friend, defense attorney Rob Nigh, died at the age of 57. Burr and Nigh were two of the three attorneys who initially represented Timothy
In an op-ed in AZ Central, Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice president Amy Kalman explains why she and more than 20 former Arizona judges, former prosecutors and legal experts, including the former judge who co-authored the state’s death penalty statute, are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to end capital punishment not just in Arizona, but nationwide. “There are now so many aggravating factors that Arizona prosecutors can seek the death
Jack Greene was granted an emergency stay by the Arkansas Supreme Court on Tuesday, two days before he was scheduled to be executed. Greene’s attorneys requested the stay so the court could consider a lower court ruling that dismissed their challenge to a state law that says a death row prisoner can be found incompetent to be executed only if the prison’s director asks for a mental health evaluation. “The
“Plagued by wrongful convictions, high costs, and delays, the death penalty has proven to be ineffective and incompatible with a number of core conservative principles. It runs afoul of conservative commitments to limited government, fiscal responsibility, and a culture of life.” That’s according to a report published by the four-year-old organization, “Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty,” that maintains that “more Republicans are recognizing that the death penalty is a
Americans’ support for the death penalty is now at 55 percent, the lowest number since 1972, according to a poll released by Gallup late last month. The number continues “a trend toward diminished death penalty support as many states have issued moratoria on executions or abolished capital punishment,” Gallup says. The poll shows that support among Democrats has been steadily decreasing for the past five years, with just 39 percent
Death Penalty Focus is partnering with CharityBuzz to bring you two new charity auctions–your chance to meet Ed Asner and Ed Begley, Jr.–all while supporting our work. Lunch with Award Winning Actor Ed Asner in Los Angeles Enjoy lunch in Los Angeles with Ed Asner, legendary actor and seven time Emmy Award winner. Ed Asner is perhaps best known for his comedic and dramatic crossover as the gruff but soft-hearted journalist ‘Lou Grant,’ the