Entries tagged with “Juries

Facts & Research

Sentencing Data

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Sep 14, 2022

BOOKS: Geometrical Justice: The Death Penalty in America”

The out­come of a cap­i­tal pros­e­cu­tion can be pre­dict­ed based upon the rel­a­tive social sta­tus of the vic­tim, the defen­dant, and the jurors, apply­ing a soci­ol­o­gy con­cept known as the geo­met­ri­cal the­o­ry of law, accord­ing to the authors of a new book, …

Policy Issues

Intellectual Disability

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Race

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Recent Legislative Activity

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Sep 04, 2020

California Legislature Passes Racial Justice Package Affecting Death-Penalty Practices

In the clos­ing days of its 2020 leg­isla­tive ses­sion, the California leg­is­la­ture passed a trio of racial jus­tice reform bills expect­ed to reduce the influ­ence of racial, eth­nic, and socioe­co­nom­ic bias in the admin­is­tra­tion of the d…

Policy Issues

Arbitrariness

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Aug 25, 2020

California Supreme Court Overturns Scott Peterson’s Death Sentence

Ruling in one of the most sen­sa­tion­al­ized tri­als of the ear­ly 2000s, the California Supreme Court has over­turned the death sen­tence imposed on Scott Peterson for the mur­ders of his preg­nant wife, Laci, and their u…

Policy Issues

Intellectual Disability

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Mental Illness

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Representation

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Aug 24, 2020

Capital Case Roundup — Death Penalty Court Decisions the Week of August 172020

NEWS (8/​19/​20) — California: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit released habeas cor­pus appeal deci­sions in two cap­i­tal cas­es involv­ing California death-row pris­on­er Martin Kipp, over­turn­ing his con­vic­tion in a case prosecuted …

Policy Issues

Innocence

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Prosecutorial Accountability

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Race

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Sentencing Data

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Executions Overview

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Jun 06, 2020

Capital Case Roundup — Death Penalty Court Decisions the Week of June 12020

NEWS (6/​5/​20) — North Carolina: The North Carolina Supreme Court has struck down the state leg­is­la­ture’s attempt­ed retroac­tive repeal of the state’s Racial Justice Act, restor­ing the rights of approx­i­mate­ly 130 death-row pris­on­ers to seek …

Policy Issues

Representation

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United States Supreme Court

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Lethal Injection

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Federal Death Penalty

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Jun 19, 2020

Capital Case Roundup — Death Penalty Court Decisions the Week of June 152020

NEWS (6/​19/​20) — California: In one of the few cap­i­tal tri­als to move for­ward dur­ing the COVID-19 pan­dem­ic, a San Jose jury acquit­ted Manuel Anthony Lopez of charges that he had raped and mur­dered his girlfriend’s two-year-old son.

Policy Issues

Innocence

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Prosecutorial Accountability

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Race

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Sep 08, 2020

Curtis Flowers Exonerated in Mississippi After Attorney General Drops All Charges

After six tri­als marred by pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct and racial prej­u­dice, draw­ing a scathing rebuke from the U.S. Supreme Court, for­mer Mississippi death-row pris­on­er Curtis Flowers (pic­tured with the ankle monito…

Policy Issues

Federal Death Penalty

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Dec 13, 2019

Federal Appeals Court Hears Argument in Boston Marathon Bombing Case

Lawyers for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (pic­tured) sought to over­turn his con­vic­tion and fed­er­al death sen­tence on Thursday, argu­ing in a fed­er­al appeals court that he could not get a fair tri­al in a city still trauma…

Facts & Research

Recent Legislative Activity

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Feb 06, 2023

Florida Governor Pushes To Remove Safeguards in Death Penalty Cases

At the urg­ing of Governor Ron DeSantis, bills have been intro­duced in the Florida House and Senate that would allow death sen­tences even when the jury can­not come to a unan­i­mous ver­dict on the prop­er penal­ty. The pro­posed leg­is­la­tion would also pe…

Facts & Research

Recent Legislative Activity

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Apr 18, 2023

Florida Legislature Rescinds Unanimous-Jury Requirement in Death Sentencing

Florida is poised to become the state with the nation’s low­est thresh­old for juries to rec­om­mend death sen­tences, after the state leg­is­la­ture passed a bill allow­ing a judge to impose death if at least eight out of twelve jurors agree. Most states,…

Policy Issues

Arbitrariness

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Upcoming Executions

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Nov 18, 2019

Juror Admits Bias in Tennessee Case With Pending Execution Date

A Tennessee death-row pris­on­er who is fac­ing exe­cu­tion in ear­ly December is seek­ing to reverse his 1992 con­vic­tion and death sen­tence in light of new infor­ma­tion that a juror who served on his case failed to dis­close that she was …

Policy Issues

Juveniles

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Race

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Clemency

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Upcoming Executions

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Federal Death Penalty

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Dec 08, 2020

Jurors and Appellate Prosecutor Say Teen Offender Brandon Bernard Should Not be Executed

As the December 10, 2020 exe­cu­tion date of fed­er­al death-row pris­on­er Brandon Bernard (pic­tured with his fam­i­ly) approached, jurors and a for­mer pros­e­cu­tor in his case came for­ward say­ing that the teen offender’s life should be sp…

Policy Issues

Innocence

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Race

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Clemency

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Oct 03, 2015

Missouri Commutes Death Sentence of Kimber Edwards

On October 2, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon com­mut­ed the death sen­tence of Kimber Edwards to life with­out parole. Edwards had faced exe­cu­tion on October 6 for the alleged mur­der-for-hire killing of his ex-wife. …

Policy Issues

Race

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Victims' Families

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Upcoming Executions

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Native Americans

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Federal Death Penalty

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Jul 30, 2020

Over Tribal Objection, U.S. Government Sets New Execution Date for Sole Native American on Federal Death Row

The U.S. gov­ern­ment has set an August 26, 2020 exe­cu­tion date for the sole Native American on fed­er­al death row, against the wish­es of his tribe, the vic­tims’ fam­i­ly, and the local U.S. Attorney’s office that pros­e­cut­ed the case.On July 29,…