Articles
Items: 231 — 240
Sep 06, 2006
Texas Editorials Call for Independent Investigation of Possible Wrongful Execution
Two of Texas’s main newspapers have called for an independent investigation into the case of Ruben Cantu, who was executed in Texas in 1993. New evidence revealed in the Houston Chronicle earlier in the year has thrown considerable doubt on the guilt of Cantu. Susan Reed, the District Attorney of Bexar County where Cantu was tried, has refused to step down as head of the county’s investigation, even though, as a judge, she signed Cantu’s death warrant, an apparent conflict of interest. The…
Read MoreAug 29, 2006
INNOCENCE: Editorial Addresses the Risks of the Death Penalty
In a recent editorial, the Washington Post called attention to the case of Earl Washington, who was wrongly convicted and almost executed in Virginia before being freed following DNA tests. The editorial notes that even a confession is far from definitive proof that the right person has been convicted. Washington was spared through the clemency process after courts denied his claims. Now a new defendant, whose DNA matched evidence from the crime scene, has been…
Read MoreAug 01, 2006
EDITORIALS: “Society Should End this System…Put Murderers Away for Life”
In a recent editorial, the Delaware News Journal concluded that the uncertainties and delays of the death penalty favor ending the system and replacing it with a sentence of life without parole. Such a system would better serve victims and their families, and bring swifter…
Read MoreJul 14, 2006
NEW VOICES: The Death Penalty 30 Years after Gregg v. Georgia
Stuart Streichler served as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Gregg v. Georgia. He observed many capital cases and now concludes: “A fundamental idea of American law is that all defendants should receive fair trials all of the time. The persistent failure to come close to that in death penalty cases undermines the integrity of the legal system.” Streichler’s op-ed appreared recently in the Miami…
Read MoreJul 05, 2006
OP-ED: At the 30th Anniversary of Gregg v. Georgia, Death Penalty Remains Arbitrary
Professor Michael Meltsner, who worked as an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in its efforts to challenge the death penalty in the 1960s and 70s, recently assessed the U.S.‘s application of the death penalty over the past 30 years. He noted that today’s death penalty system is “broken” and fails to make the nation a safer society. Writing in the Boston Globe, Meltsner…
Read MoreJul 05, 2006
NEW VOICES: Former Publisher of the Chicago Tribune Calls for End to Executions
In a recent op-ed, Jack Fuller, former editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, called for an end to capital punishment. Citing a series of mistakes by eyewitnesses, police and forensic experts, he stated that the criminal justice system is too deeply flawed to entrust with carrying out executions. Pointing to the likely innocence of Carlos DeLuna, a Texas man who was executed in 1989, Fuller concluded that the death penalty should be abolished because “no goverment is good enough to…
Read MoreJul 05, 2006
Anesthesiologists Advised to Avoid Lethal Injections
Dr. Orin Guidry, president of the 40,000-member American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), issued a public statement strongly urging members to “steer clear” of any participation in executions by lethal injection. In a four-page “Message from the President,” Guidry noted that anesthesiologists have been “reluctantly thrust into the middle” of the legal controversy over lethal injections. In recent months, the procedures being used around the United States have been challenged because they…
Read MoreJun 25, 2006
Chicago Tribune: EXECUTED TEXAS MAN WAS LIKELY INNOCENT
Did this man die…for this man’s…
Read MoreJun 23, 2006
New York Times Article: Alternatives to Lethal Injection
The New York…
Read MoreJun 12, 2006
Editorials Praise Virginia Governor’s Decision to Delay Walton Execution
Recent editorials in The Washington Post and Roanoke Times praised Virginia Governor Tim Kaine’s decision to delay the execution of Percy Walton in order to ensure that he is sane enough to execute. The papers noted that Kaine’s decision, which drew criticism from some death penalty advocates, demonstrated “competence in lawfully applying the death penalty” and was…
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