Entries tagged with “Richard Glossip”
United States Supreme Court
,Prosecutorial Accountability
,Oct 08, 2024
United States Supreme Court Will Consider Significance of Prosecutor’s Confession of Error in Glossip v. Oklahoma
On October 9, 2024, the United States Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Glossip v. Oklahoma, when the Court will consider multiple questions related to Richard Glossip’s conviction and death sentence. This is Mr. Glossip’s second trip to the Supreme Court; the first occurred in 2015 in connection with his method of execution challenge. Mr. Glossip has always maintained his innocence of the 1997 “murder for hire” crime that sent him to death row. In the intervening years, he has…
Arbitrariness
,Sentencing Alternatives
,Oct 04, 2024
A Chance at Life, Withdrawn: When Politics Interferes with Plea Deals
American prosecutors have immense power and relatively unchecked discretion in capital cases. But in several recent cases, death-sentenced prisoners reached agreements with prosecutors that would have saved them from execution, only to learn that another official had interfered to block the agreement. Critics have argued that these decisions sow public distrust in the legal process and raise concerns that government officials may be exploiting death penalty cases for political…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Jul 03, 2024
The 200th Exoneration Underscores Critical Flaws in the U.S. Criminal Legal System; Other Innocent Prisoners Remain on Death Row
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Furman v. Georgia (1972), 200 death-sentenced men and women across 30 states have been exonerated. Analysis from the Death Penalty Information Center reveals these individuals have collectively spent 2,621 years in harsh prison conditions for crimes they did not commit. On average, death row exonerees spent 13 years under the sentence of death before their exonerations, with some individuals spending more than 40 years fighting to prove…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,United States Supreme Court
,May 07, 2024
In Amicus Briefs, Conservative Officials, Oklahoma Lawmakers, and Civil Rights Groups are United in Urging the U.S. Supreme Court to Vacate Richard Glossip’s Conviction
On April 30, 2024, a week after the parties in Glossip v. Oklahoma filed merits briefs at the United States Supreme Court, several amici filed briefs in support of the parties’ joint position, asking the Court to grant Richard Glossip (pictured) a new trial. Ken Cuccinelli, the former Virginia Attorney General and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security under President Donald Trump, said in his brief that the consequences of failing to overturn Mr. Glossip’s conviction are “most dire.”…
Facts & Research
Recent Legislative Activity
,Mar 05, 2024
Oklahoma Execution Moratorium Bill Unanimously Passes Committee and Makes Its Way to the State-House Floor
On February 28, 2023, the Oklahoma House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee unanimously passed a bill that would pause all pending executions and prohibit new death sentences while an independent task force reviews current Oklahoma death penalty procedures. House Bill 3138, also known as the Death Penalty Moratorium Act, was introduced by Republican Representative Kevin McDugle and would create a five-member Death Penalty Reform Task Force to “study and report on the progress of…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Prosecutorial Accountability
,United States Supreme Court
,Jan 22, 2024
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Richard Glossip’s Appeal: High-Profile Innocence Case Where the State Supports Relief
On January 22, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to Richard Glossip, sentenced to death in Oklahoma, whose innocence case has received international attention. Mr. Glossip’s execution had been scheduled for May 18, 2023, before the Court issued a stay on May 5 pending the outcome of his petitions for certiorari. Mr. Glossip’s case is unusual in that the State of Oklahoma conceded error and supports his request for a new trial. However, Mr. Glossip was forced to petition the Supreme Court…
Facts & Research
United States Supreme Court
,Federal Death Penalty
,Oct 03, 2023
Analysis Shows Supreme Court’s Changing View of Death Penalty Cases
A recent analysis by Bloomberg Law concluded that death-sentenced prisoners have fewer avenues to relief at the Supreme Court than ever before. Bloomberg identified 270 emergency requests to stay executions since 2013 and found that the Court agreed to block an execution just 11 times. Since 2020, when the Court shifted to a 6 – 3 conservative majority following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the Court has granted just…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,United States Supreme Court
,Jul 10, 2023
Oklahoma Attorney General Files SCOTUS Brief in Support of Richard Glossip
On July 5, 2023, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond (pictured) filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of death row prisoner Richard Glossip’s petition for a writ of certiorari. The Innocence Project and six legal scholars have also filed briefs in support of Mr. Glossip, while the victim’s family and the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association have filed a brief in…
Facts & Research
United States Supreme Court
,Jun 08, 2023
Former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer Expresses Continued Frustration with the Fair Administration of the Death Penalty
In a recent interview with The Marshall Project, former United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer discussed his twenty-eight years of experience on the Court and the evolution of his view on the death penalty. He explained that he did not go to the Supreme Court intending to overturn the death penalty, but “[i]t’s so unfairly administered. There’s neither rhyme nor reason. The whole point of this criminal justice system is fairness.… I’m not saying, ‘You’re all innocent.’ But…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,May 25, 2023
Former U.S. Attorneys, Prominent Business Leaders, Write Op-Eds in Support of Richard Glossip
Former federal Oklahoma prosecutors Patrick Ryan and Daniel Webber co-authored an editorial in The Oklahoman on May 17, 2023 expressing serious concerns about Richard Glossip’s conviction and death sentence. The writers noted that a prosecutor’s duty “is not to win a case, but to ensure justice is done,” and concluded that “the state did not follow these fundamental principles in obtaining Richard Glossip’s 1998 and 2004 convictions and death sentences.” The former prosecutors collectively…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,United States Supreme Court
,May 05, 2023
CASE UPDATE: U.S. Supreme Court Stays Glossip Execution
(ORDER LIST: 598 U.S.) FRIDAY, MAY 5, 2023 ORDER IN PENDING CASE 22A941 GLOSSIP, RICHARD E. V. OKLAHOMA The application for stay of execution of sentence of death presented to Justice Kavanaugh and by him referred to the Court is granted pending the disposition of the petitions for writs of certiorari, Nos. 22 – 6500 and 22 – 7466. Should both petitions for writs of certiorari be denied, this stay shall terminate automatically. In the event either petition for a writ of certiorari is granted, the…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Clemency
,Apr 26, 2023
Case Update: Oklahoma Board Denies Clemency for Richard Glossip
On April 26, the Oklahoma Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to recommend clemency for death-row prisoner Richard Glossip (pictured), who is scheduled to be executed on May 18, 2023. The board’s 2 – 2 vote constituted a denial of clemency since the governor cannot grant clemency without the board’s…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Apr 21, 2023
Case Update: Oklahoma Court Upholds Richard Glossip’s Conviction
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled against Richard Glossip (pictured) on April 20, 2023, despite a motion from the state’s Attorney General asking the court to vacate Glossip’s conviction and remand the case to a lower court. Glossip is scheduled for execution on May 18 but has consistently maintained his innocence. In a statement reacting to the ruling, Glossip’s attorney, Don Knight, said, “Since the State now agrees that the only witness to allege that Mr. Glossip was involved in…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Apr 07, 2023
Oklahoma Attorney General Moves to Vacate the Murder Conviction of Richard Glossip
On April 6, 2023, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond asked the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to vacate Richard Glossip’s conviction and death sentence and to remand the case to the District Court for further proceedings. He cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s admonition that the prosecutor’s interest is “not that it shall win a case, but that justice shall be…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Clemency
,Upcoming Executions
,Jan 27, 2023
Oklahoma Attorney General Appoints Special Counsel to Conduct ‘Thorough Review’ of Richard Glossip’s Case
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has appointed a special counsel to conduct a ‘thorough review’ of the case of death-row prisoner Richard Glossip, who has faced nine execution dates despite strong evidence that he is innocent of the 1997 alleged murder-for-hire of an Oklahoma City motel owner. In a news release issued January 26, 2023, two days after the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals rescheduled Glossip’s execution from…
Executions
Upcoming Executions
,Executions Overview
,Jan 24, 2023
Oklahoma Court Grants Attorney General’s Motion to Slow State’s Execution Spree
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals (OCCA) has reset the state’s execution schedule, slowing down the pace at which the 25-person execution spree it authorized in July 2022 would move…
Executions
Jan 12, 2023
Oklahoma Carries Out First of 11 Executions Scheduled for 2023
Oklahoma has carried out the first of eleven executions scheduled for 2023, administering a lethal injection to death-row prisoner Scott Eizember on January 12. The execution was a continuation of a 29-month execution spree between August 2022 and December 2024 in which the state intends to put 25 prisoners to death — 58% of the state’s death…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Upcoming Executions
,Nov 21, 2022
Oklahoma Pushes Back Clemency Hearings, Changing Execution Timelines
Oklahoma has pushed back the clemency hearings of two men on death row, John Hanson and Richard Glossip (pictured). Glossip’s execution date was also moved back, and Hanson’s execution date will likely have to be changed. Both men were scheduled to have clemency hearings on Nov. 9, 2022, and to be executed before the end of the year, as part of Oklahoma’s planned spree of 25 executions scheduled between August 2022 and December 2024. The state’s decision to execute so many people in a short…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Upcoming Executions
,Nov 04, 2022
Richard Glossip Execution Halted for a Seventh Time
Oklahoma has once again put off the execution of Richard Glossip, the seventh time his pending execution has been stayed or…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Prosecutorial Accountability
,Sep 28, 2022
Oklahoma Lawmaker Calls for Investigation of Prosecutor for Deliberately Withholding Evidence of Innocence in Richard Glossip Retrial
An Oklahoma state representative has called for an investigation into the practices of the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office following additional revelations that county prosecutors deliberately withheld exculpatory evidence and manufactured false testimony to secure a conviction and death sentence against Richard Glossip in his 2004…
Policy Issues
Mental Illness
,Clemency
,Upcoming Executions
,Sep 22, 2022
Lawyers for Mentally Ill Oklahoma Death-Row Prisoner Seek Clemency, Competency Trial
Lawyers for Oklahoma death-row prisoner Benjamin Cole have filed a petition with the Oklahoma Board of Pardons and Parole asking the Board to recommend to Governor Kevin Stitt that Cole’s sentence be commuted to life without…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Upcoming Executions
,Aug 17, 2022
Oklahoma Governor Delays Richard Glossip’s Execution to Allow Litigation of Innocence Claims
Oklahoma Governor J. Kevin Stitt has issued a 60-day stay of execution to death-row prisoner Richard Glossip. The order, issued August 16, 2022, delays Glossip’s September 22 execution to provide the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals time to review a pending motion by Glossip seeking an evidentiary hearing on new evidence that he is innocent of the 1997 murder of Barry Van Treese, his boss at an Oklahoma City motel. Glossip filed that motion…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Prosecutorial Accountability
,Upcoming Executions
,Jul 25, 2022
Former Oklahoma Governor and His Death Penalty Review Commission Co-Chair Call for Execution Halt
Former Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry (pictured) and former U.S. Magistrate Judge Andy Lester, who co-chaired the Oklahoma Death Penalty Review Commission in 2017, have called on state officials to halt the scheduled executions of 25 death-row…
Policy Issues
Arbitrariness
,Innocence
,Upcoming Executions
,Time on Death Row
,Jul 19, 2022
Commentary: Richard Glossip’s Case Exemplifies the Systemic Flaws that Justice Stephen Breyer Warned About
As Richard Glossip faces an execution date for the fourth time, his case is a perfect example of the problems in the death-penalty system that then-Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer (pictured) identified in his 2015 landmark dissent in Glossip v. Gross. In an analysis published by Slate, Jeremy Stahl writes, “Whether or not Richard Glossip is ultimately executed for a crime he likely did not commit, his and Breyer’s names will be…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Jun 17, 2022
Oklahoma Legislature Releases Independent Review of Richard Glossip Case
Oklahoma legislators announced that an independent investigation revealed strong evidence of Richard Glossip’s innocence. Glossip, who came within hours of execution in 2015, is the second prisoner the Oklahoma Attorney General is seeking to execute this fall. After the investigation report was released, Glossip’s attorneys filed a motion in the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, asking that an execution date not be set so that Glossip can seek…
Executions
Upcoming Executions
,Jun 13, 2022
Oklahoma Attorney General Requests 25 Execution Dates Despite Independent Investigation and Claims of Innocence, Serious Mental Illness, and Brain Damage
Oklahoma state prosecutors are pushing to schedule 25 executions over approximately two years, after a federal judge denied death-row prisoners’ challenge to the state’s controversial lethal-injection…
Executions
Executions Overview
,Feb 18, 2022
Oklahoma County Becomes Nation’s Third Most Prolific County Executioner as State Puts Intellectually Impaired Teen Offender to Death
When Oklahoma executed Gilbert Postelle on February 17, 2022, it came with a dubious distinction. The intellectually impaired man who was 18 years old at the time of his offense became the 44th person prosecuted in Oklahoma County to be put to death since executions resumed in the U.S. in 1977. His death made the county the nation’s third-most prolific county executioner over the past half-century, tied with Tarrant and Bexar counties in…
Executions
Botched Executions
,Lethal Injection
,Feb 14, 2022
Autopsy Shows John Grant Suffered Pulmonary Edema and Intramuscular Hemorrhage and Aspirated Vomit During Oklahoma Execution
Autopsy results for an Oklahoma death-row prisoner whose execution state officials claimed “was carried out … without complication” have confirmed eyewitness reports that John Grant likely suffered a torturous death. The autopsy, conducted by Tulsa Medical Examiner Jeremy Shelton, M.D., the morning after Grant was executed on October 28, 2021, revealed that Grant suffered pulmonary edema and intramuscular hemorrhaging, and aspirated on his vomit as a result…
Executions
Lethal Injection
,Feb 10, 2022
Oklahoma is Paying Execution Doctor $15,000 Plus Training Fees for Each Execution
Oklahoma is paying $15,000 per execution, plus $1,000 for each day of training, to an unnamed doctor to participate in the process of putting state prisoners to death. Under the agreement, the doctor stood to receive an estimated $130,000 over the course of the 19-week-period between October 28, 2021 and March 10, 2022 in which the state had scheduled the executions of seven…
Executions
Botched Executions
,Lethal Injection
,Oct 29, 2021
Eyewitnesses Report John Grant Experienced Repeated ‘Full-Body Convulsions’ and Vomited During Execution; Oklahoma Says Execution was Carried Out ‘Without Complication’
Oklahoma’s legacy of botched executions has continued to grow, as media witnesses to the October 28, 2021 execution of John Grant (pictured) reported that Grant suffered repeated convulsions and vomited over a nearly 15-minute period after he was administered the controversial execution drug…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Clemency
,Jun 23, 2021
As More Evidence of Innocence Emerges, 34 Oklahoma Legislators Call on Governor for Investigation of Death-Row Prisoner Richard Glossip’s Conviction
Following additional revelations that Richard Glossip (pictured) may be innocent of the murder that sent him to Oklahoma’s death row in 1998, a bipartisan group of 34 state legislators are calling upon Governor Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to conduct an independent investigation into Glossip’s…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Clemency
,New Voices
,Sep 30, 2020
NEW VOICES: Oklahoma Legislator Says Get the Death Penalty Right or Don’t Do It
A self-described tough-on-crime Oklahoma state representative says has serious doubts as to the reliability of the Sooner State’s death…
Executions
Lethal Injection
,May 07, 2020
Executions Remain On Hold as Federal Litigation on Oklahoma’s ‘Risky and Incomplete’ Lethal-Injection Protocol Moves Forward
Oklahoma will not seek to carry out any executions while litigation continues in federal court on the state’s lethal-injection protocol, a U.S. federal district court judge has…
Executions
Lethal Injection
,State by State
,Mar 02, 2020
Oklahoma Prisoners Challenge New Execution Protocol in Federal Court
Less than two weeks after Oklahoma officials announced that the state would return to the same controversial three-drug execution protocol implicated in a series of botched executions in 2014 and 2015, the state’s death-row prisoners have asked a federal court to reactivate their lawsuit challenging the state’s execution process. The February 27, 2020 filing in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma called the new protocol “incomplete” and said…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Prosecutorial Accountability
,New Voices
,Aug 15, 2018
Fox Commentator: Oklahoma “Frontier Justice” Has Produced “Wretched Record” of Wrongful Capital Convictions
Calling Oklahoma “the notorious home of ‘Hang ’Em High’ executions,” conservative commentator and Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin (pictured) has urged the state to adopt sytemic reforms to address its “wretched record on wrongful…
Executions
Botched Executions
,Lethal Injection
,May 20, 2016
Oklahoma Grand Jury Issues Report Detailing “Blatant Violations” of the State’s Execution Protocol
Following seven months of investigation into the causes of Oklahoma’s botched execution of Charles Warner using an unauthorized execution drug and its near-execution of Richard Glossip with the same wrong drug, an Oklahoma grand jury issued a report on May 19 identifying a wide range of what it characterized as “negligent,” “careless,” and in some instances “reckless” conduct by state officials that deviated from the state’s…
Executions
Botched Executions
,Lethal Injection
,Apr 14, 2016
Oklahoma Knew It Had Used Unauthorized Drug Months Before It Aborted Richard Glossip’s Execution
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections knew it had used an unauthorized drug in the execution of Charles Warner nearly six months before it almost repeated the mistake in the aborted execution of Richard Glossip. Oklahoma executed Warner on January 15,…