Publications & Testimony
Latest
Feb 07, 2025
Judge Finds Race Plays a “Significant Role” in Death Sentences in Three North Carolina Counties
On February 7, 2025, Johnston County Superior Court Judge Wayland Sermons ruled “[r]ace was a significant factor” in both jury selection and the decision to impose death in the case of Hasson Bacote and granted relief for Mr. Bacote from his death sentence under the provisions of North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act (RJA). Judge Sermons also found racial discrimination tainted all death sentences in Johnston County and neighboring Harnett and Lee Counties, potentially…
Read MoreFeb 06, 2025
Worldwide Monthly Roundup: Taiwan Carries Out First Execution in Five Years; Singapore Cracks Down on Abolition Group; Iranian Prisoners Continue Peaceful Abolition Protest as at Least 87 Executed in January
On January 16, 2025, Taiwan carried out its first execution since April 2020. Huang Linkai, who was sentenced to death in 2017 for the 2013 murders of his ex-girlfriend and her mother, was executed at the Taipei Detention Center. Although Mr. Huang’s attorney filed a last-minute appeal, the execution…
Read MoreFeb 05, 2025
Focus on Race: Alameda County Resentencings Illustrate Long History of Excluding Jurors of Color from the Jury Box
When Ernest Dykes was brought to trial on death penalty charges in Alameda County, California in the mid-1990s, it was reasonably expected that prosecutors and defense attorneys alike would work hard to shape the jury to their benefit. What Mr. Dykes (who is Black) didn’t know until recently, however, was just how far the prosecution would go to curate…
Read MoreFeb 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…
Read MoreFeb 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…
Read MoreJan 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…
Read MoreJan 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…
Read MoreJan 28, 2025
Death Penalty Documentary Nominated for Academy Award
I am Ready, Warden, a documentary about Texas death row prisoner John Henry Ramirez, was announced as a nominee for Best Documentary Short at the 2025 Academy Awards. The film tells the story of the days leading up to Mr. Ramirez’s 2022 execution. It features interviews with Mr. Ramirez and his son, Israel, as well as Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez, who opposes the death penalty and sought to halt Mr. Ramirez’s execution. It also centers the experience of Aaron Castro, the son…
Read MoreJan 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…
Read MoreJan 24, 2025
State Spotlight: Texas Death Penalty Declining in Use — 2024 in Review
According to the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty’s annual Year in Review, Texas’ death row continued to shrink in 2024, reflecting prosecutors’ increasing reluctance to bring new capital cases and juries’ growing reluctance to sentence individuals to death. Texas juries imposed just six new death sentences in 2024, marking the tenth consecutive year of single-digit death sentences. Five of those six involved defendants of color, following…
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