Biden Campaigned on Ending the Death Penalty. His Justice Department Wants To Execute the Boston Marathon Bomber Anyway.
A new brief asks the Supreme Court to reinstate Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death sentence.
Death Penalty
Rethinking the Power To Take a Life
America's approach to capital punishment changed in the 1970s. It's time for another look.
If You Support the Death Penalty for Hate-Motivated Murders, You Support the Death Penalty
Georgia D.A. reverses her previous position when faced with a mass shooting she sees as a hate crime.
He Was Executed for Murder. New DNA Evidence Implicates Someone Else.
Ledell Lee was put to death in 2017 for a killing he likely didn't commit.
Seems Like Old Times for the Sixth Circuit at SCOTUS
This morning's summary reversal of a habeas petition grant in Mays v. Hines.
Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Fight Over Boston Bomber's Death Sentence
President Joe Biden campaigned on ending the federal death penalty, but he’s been quiet about it since taking office.
SCOTUS Refuses to Let Alabama Execute Willie Smith Without His Pastor Present (Without Noting Who Cast the Fifth Vote)
With Justice Barrett joining Justice Kagan, does Dunn v. Smith represent a shift on the Court?
Virginia Poised To Become 23rd State To End Death Penalty
The state that has executed the most prisoners may soon end the practice entirely.
Trump Administration Puts 13th Prisoner to Death as Justice Sotomayor Blasts 'Breakneck Timetable of Executions'
The Department of Justice rushes to prevent mercy before a new administration can take over.
Judge's Stay Halting First Federal Execution of a Woman in 70 Years Has Been Vacated
Lisa Montgomery faces possible execution this evening.
In 2020, the Feds Have Executed More Inmates Than All States Combined
An annual report on the death penalty shows its use declining everywhere except in the federal government.
Wish a Not-So-Fond Farewell to Outgoing Attorney General William Barr
His Trump toadying was absolutely awful, but still not nearly as bad as his unremittingly harsh approach to justice and policing.
No Mercy Came for Brandon Bernard and None Will Come Today for Alfred Bourgeois
Bill Barr and Donald Trump spend the end of their terms executing prisoners.
Not Even COVID-19 Infections Among Prison Staff Can Convince the Feds To Halt Executions
Five who tested positive recently will participate in this week’s planned executions of Brandon Bernard and Alfred Bourgeois.
Barr's Justice Department Prepares To End Trump's Term With an Execution Spree
Three more death row inmates have been scheduled to die.
D.C. Circuit Panel Splits on Lawfulness of Federal Execution Protocol (and Whether to Enjoin It).
The court improbably concludes that the execution protocol is illegal, but does not enjoin its use
Dems Ask Trump Administration to Stop Executing Inmates Ahead of Biden Transition
The incoming administration opposes the death penalty, but the Justice Department has three more executions planned this year.
Justice Department Prepares for First Federal Execution of a Woman Since 1953
Lisa Montgomery killed a pregnant woman and took her baby in 2004. She is clearly mentally unwell. What does killing her accomplish?
The Federal Death Penalty Returns
State-level executions have been on the decline since 2000, but the federal government recently got back in the business of executing prisoners.
The Trump Administration Executes Its Fourth Federal Prisoner in Two Months
A new modern record for putting inmates to death
The Trump Administration Prepares to Set a Modern Record for Federal Executions
Lezmond Mitchell is scheduled to die Wednesday, over the objections of the Navajo Nation to which he belongs and on whose land the murder took place.
Boston Bomber May Dodge Death Penalty as Justice Department Preps for More Executions
Court panel rules judge didn't properly evaluate juror bias against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Justice Department Executes First Federal Prisoner in Nearly 2 Decades
A quick scramble to end a man’s life, despite objections by attorneys and even the relatives of his victims
Justice Department Tangles with Judges Over First Federal Execution in 17 Years
A court delay on Friday was lifted over the weekend, only to be reinstated Monday for different reasons.
Judge Delays First Federal Execution in 17 Years Due to Coronavirus Fears
Relatives of the victims say they shouldn’t have to risk infection to attend. A federal judge agreed.
Supreme Court Won't Stop Pending Federal Executions
The federal government hasn’t executed a prisoner since 2003. We may see three killed in July.
What Is Dexamethasone? A Potentially Life-Saving Treatment for Seriously Ill COVID-19 Patients
Plus: The U.S. Supreme Court stops an execution at the last minute, a senator argues that you shouldn't get HBO GO for free, and more...
After Nearly 30 Years, Pennsylvania's Walter Ogrod is Released From Death Row
False testimony and prosecutorial misconduct put Walter Ogrod on death row.
Condemned to Death by a Split Jury in Florida
Requiring unanimous juries underscores the gravity of a death penalty sentence.
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office Says It Wrongly Convicted Walter Ogrod. Will a Judge Set Him Free Before He Dies of COVID-19?
Ogrod remains on death row even though the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office has called for his conviction to be overturned. He probably has COVID-19.
Colorado Officially Repeals the Death Penalty, Commutes Sentences of Death Row Inmates
The reactions to the governor's actions were mixed.
Tonight, Alabama Will Execute a Man Who Didn't Commit Murder
Only 10 jurors sentenced Nathaniel Woods to death for the deaths of three police officers.
The Fight Over Colorado's Death Penalty Was Shaped by the Families of Murder Victims
Concern for the families appeared on both sides of the debate.
Oklahoma Wants To Use Its Old Lethal Injection Protocol, Despite Past Botched Executions
Oklahoma messed up three executions in just two years.
Tennessee Executes Nick Sutton, Despite Protests from Prison Guards and the Victims' Families
"Nick Sutton has gone from a life-taker to a life-saver," read a clemency petition filed by corrections staff, the families of several victims, and five of the jurors who sentenced him to death.
A Group of Prosecutors Want SCOTUS To Save Death Row Inmate James Dailey
Former prosecutor Bennett Gershman: "The use of jailhouse informants...is one of the great abuses in criminal trials across America."
The Trouble with Tennessee's Lethal Injection Drugs
"This whole question of how we kill our prisoners is sort of a sideshow when the system is as broken as it is."
Donnie Lance Will Be Executed Tonight Without Physical Evidence Attaching Him to Murder
Supporters of Lance believe the court should have tested DNA before sentencing him to death.
DNA Testing Could Prove That Arkansas Executed an Innocent Man Three Years Ago
The ACLU and the Innocence Project are suing to uncover the evidence.
Florida Supreme Court To Allow Non-Unanimous Death Sentences
Florida has had more exonerations of death row inmates than any other state in the U.S.
Georgia Death Row Prisoner Jimmy Meders Has Sentence Commuted Hours Before Execution
The jury said they would have given Jimmy Meders life in prison without parole had it been available.
Corrections Officers, Jurors, and the Families of Nick Sutton's Victims Want Him Taken Off Death Row
The Tennessee death row inmate "has gone from a life-taker to a life-saver."
New Kentucky Governor Restores Voting Rights to 140,000 Nonviolent Felons
Meanwhile, outgoing Gov. Matt Bevin made some controversial pardon choices as he headed for the door.
An Unreliable Jailhouse Informant May Have Sent an Innocent Florida Man to Death Row
James Dailey is running out of options to prove his innocence.
Judge Puts Plans to Restart Federal Executions on Hold
The first death was scheduled for December.
Tennessee Court Refuses To Test DNA Evidence That Could Exonerate a Man the State Already Executed
According to the law, the deceased Sedley Alley is the only person who can file a petition for post-conviction DNA testing.
Georgia Has Executed a Death Row Inmate Without DNA Testing the Evidence
The daughter of the murder victim has accused the state of ignoring her wishes.
A Georgia Death Row Inmate Will Be Executed Tomorrow. New Evidence Says a Different Man Was the Shooter.
A witness and co-defendant is casting doubt on the testimony that sent Ray Cromartie to death row.
