Litigating in the Shadow of Death by the late Welsh White is an absorb­ing account of the ways in which defense attor­neys rep­re­sent cap­i­tal defen­dants. The author brings to light the para­mount role these attor­neys have played in shap­ing the mod­ern sys­tem of cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment, show­ing how high­ly skilled defense lawyers are some­times able to avoid death sen­tences for their clients even in very dif­fi­cult cas­es. In oth­er cas­es, attor­neys have demon­strat­ed to the pub­lic that some inno­cent defen­dants are sen­tenced to death.

Professor White’s descrip­tions of cas­es pro­vide an invalu­able guide for lawyers plan­ning to rep­re­sent cap­i­tal defen­dants, as well as stu­dents try­ing to under­stand our crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem. His detailed, jour­nal­is­tic accounts of recent death penal­ty tri­als will also appeal to lay read­ers and activists inter­est­ed in learn­ing more about the death penalty.

The late Welsh S. White was the Bessie McKee Walthour Endowed Chair and Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh. (University of Michigan Press, 2006). See Representation and Books.

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