Entries by Death Penalty Information Center
News
Feb 04, 2025
Florida Legislature Passes Unconstitutional Bill that Mandates the Death Penalty for “Unauthorized Aliens”
On January 28, 2025, the Florida Legislature passed an immigration bill that includes a provision mandating the automatic imposition of the death penalty for“unauthorized aliens” convicted of a capital offense, despite longstanding U.S. precedent and international law prohibiting mandatory death sentences.. The bill was introduced during a short special legislative session called by Governor Ron DeSantis (pictured), leaving little to no time for public…
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Feb 03, 2025
Fired Federal Judge Raises Serious Concerns About Arizona’s Lethal Injection Protocol
Retired federal magistrate Judge David Duncan, who was hired and then abruptly fired by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs to review the state’s execution protocol, continues to raise significant concerns about the state’s lethal injection protocol. In an interview with ABC15, Judge Duncan highlighted issues with the chain of command for lethal injection drugs, transparency, and the state documentation process.“It’s shocking irony that one of my tasks was…
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Jan 30, 2025
Arizona’s Hourly Compensation for Post-Conviction Capital Counsel Found Inadequate for Certification by Outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland
In one of his final acts before leaving office, outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland denied a longstanding request by Arizona state officials for the state to be“certified” so it could take advantage of certain procedural benefits in federal habeas review of capital cases. These changes are available only when a state satisfies certain requirements, and benefit state actors by imposing greater restrictions on a prisoner’s ability to raise claims and by…
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Jan 29, 2025
12:01: The Death Penalty in Context — The Death Penalty in 2024
In this month’s episode of 12:01: The Death Penalty in Context, Managing Director Anne Holsinger speaks with DPI Communications Associate Hayley Bedard, about The Death Penalty in 2024, which highlights trends and events related to the death penalty. 2024 marked the tenth consecutive year during which fewer than 30 people were executed (25) and fewer than 50 people were sentenced to death (26), while high profile cases of death-sentenced people attracted…
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Jan 27, 2025
Federal Appeals Court Allows Arizona to Limit Victim Contact
On January 23, 2025, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted an injunction enjoining the enforcement of an Arizona statute, Victim Contact Limits, which prohibits criminal defense teams from contacting crime victims and their family members directly. The restrictions are found in Arizona’s Victim Rights Implementation Act (Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13- 4433(B)) and also apply to death penalty cases. The decision means that prisoners and their lawyers may no longer engage directly…
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Jan 21, 2025
Among Flurry of First-Day Executive Orders, President Trump Issues Order on the Death Penalty
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed more than two dozen Executive Orders, including a call to“restore” the federal death penalty. The Order, while lacking many important details, instructs the Department of Justice’s Attorney General to“pursue the death penalty for all crimes of a severity demanding its use,” including the killing of a law enforcement officer or“a capital crime committed by an illegal alien present in this country” and to encourage…
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Jan 16, 2025
Department of Justice Withdraws Federal Execution Protocol and Keeps Moratorium on Executions in Place
Three and a half years after announcing its investigation into the federal death penalty protocol, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on January 15, 2025 that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is rescinding the federal government’s single-drug pentobarbital lethal injection protocol. The DOJ’s decision was based on what AG Garland called“significant uncertainty” about whether executions by pentobarbital caused unnecessary pain and suffering. The…
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Jan 15, 2025
Idaho Reckons with High Costs of the Death Penalty
A recent op-ed in the Idaho Statesman highlights a number of difficulties that are a result of historic underspending on capital defense as the state prepares for its first execution since 2012. Idaho’s public defense system is transitioning to statewide oversight as part of an effort to address longstanding inequities in county-funded legal representation. With the consolidation of the public defender system came pay increases for most of Idaho’s…
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Jan 13, 2025
Connecticut Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Prohibit the Production and Manufacturing of Lethal Injection Drugs and Other Materials for Executions
On January 10, 2025, three Connecticut lawmakers introduced a bill that would make it illegal to manufacture and sell any drugs or medical devices in the state meant to carry out the death penalty. In 2024, Connecticut-based company Absolute Standards was identified as the source of lethal injection drugs used in 13 federal executions in 2020 and 2021. In a letter to the bill’s sponsors, John Criscio, President of Absolute Standards, said the company ceased production…
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Jan 06, 2025
Military Appeals Court Rules 9/11 Defendants Can Plead to Avoid Death Sentences
On December 30, 2024, a military appeals court upheld a lower court ruling rejecting Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s attempt to throw out plea deals reached for three men charged in the September 11 terrorism attacks. The court affirmed Judge Colonel Matthew N. McCall’s ruling in November 2024 that the plea agreements reached in July 2024 are valid. Col. McCall stated at the time that he would proceed with the…
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