Texas Is Executing a Man Tonight for a Murder and Rape Experts Say He Didn't Commit
Forensic experts claim there is no way Larry Swearingen raped and killed Melissa Trotter. The state is still putting him to death.
Death Penalty
No, Donald Trump: Not Even Mass Shootings and Hate Crimes Justify the Death Penalty
Politicians never hesitate to exploit a tragedy.
If Bill Barr Brings Back Federal Executions, Innocent People Will Die
We need to leave ourselves room for making good when we inevitably convict the wrong people.
Attorney General Barr Orders the Federal Government To Start Executing Prisoners Again
After two decades of mercy, the Justice Department announces five men on federal death row will face lethal injections this winter.
Joe Biden's New Criminal Justice Platform Calls for Eliminating Harsh Policies Sponsored by Joe Biden
A breathtaking repudiation of his own legacy on criminal justice
Philadelphia D.A. Larry Krasner Argues PA Death Penalty Is Unconstitutional
"Because the death penalty has repeatedly been handed out in an unreliable and arbitrary manner, it cannot survive the state Constitution’s ban on cruel punishments."
His Father Was Murdered. He Helped End the Death Penalty Anyway.
“I wanted to be more than somebody who is the son of a murder victim.”
New Hampshire Just Abolished the Death Penalty
State lawmakers reached across the aisle for a bipartisan push against capital punishment.
The State Can't Keep Drugs Out of Prisons. How Was It Ever Going to Keep Them Out of America?
This is the nature of government. It can't stop the flow of illicit substances in a sealed and militarized building that's under its total control.
New Hampshire Is One Step Closer To Abolishing the Death Penalty
The bipartisan push to remove capital punishment from state law is moving forward.
The Justice Department Rules That the FDA Cannot Regulate Lethal Injection Drugs
The opinion stems from an injunction currently preventing Texas from importing sodium thiopental.
Trump Praises China for Killing Drug Traffickers
The president thinks executions will help stop the flow of "fentanol" into the United States.
Death and the Shadow Docket
The Supreme Court's efforts to shift procedures in death penalty litigation.
In the Space of One Minute, Joe Biden Defends the Death Penalty for Drug Dealers, Asset Forfeiture, and Mandatory Minimums
This 1991 Senate floor speech shows Biden's central role in crafting disastrous crime policies.
Texas Would Rather Ban All Chaplains from Execution Chambers Than Placate One Buddhist Inmate in His Final Moments
Equal treatment under the law can mean everyone is treated equally poorly
Georgia Lawmakers Have Introduced a Bill to End the Death Penalty
The bill was introduced by Republicans and co-sponsored by Democrats.
Brett Kavanaugh Explains Why He Voted to Grant Buddhist Inmate's Stay of Execution
The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 last night to grant Patrick Murphy's petition for a stay.
Supreme Court Stays Execution in Death Penalty/Religious Liberty Case
The facts of this case are very similar to those of Dunn v. Ray, a recent ruling in which the Justice let the execution proceed, and thereby attracted a firestorm of criticism.
This Man Didn't Kill Anyone. Texas Plans To Execute Him Tonight Anyway. (UPDATE: Supreme Court Blocks Execution)
Texas' law of parties is to blame.
Will One of Arizona's More Vocal Drug Warriors Get a Seat on the State's Supreme Court?
Years after the state legalized medical marijuana, Maricopa County's top attorney served as a barrier.
Wyoming State Senator Invokes Jesus Dying to Defend Death Penalty
There's so much wrong with her argument.
The Execution of Domineque Ray
Some troubling uncertainties in a case of troubling allegations of religious discrimination
Supreme Court Rejects Stay of Execution for Alabama Inmate After Imam Not Allowed in Chamber
The Alabama prison allows a Christian chaplain in the execution chamber to pray with death row inmates, but it refused to let an imam inside.
Keep Feds Out of Cop Killer Cases
Sen. Tom Cotton pushes a poison pill amendment to a vital criminal justice reform bill.
James Fields Killed Heather Heyer Because of Her Opinions, and Now the Government Is Trying to Do the Same to Him
The federal case against the Charlottesville murderer illustrates how hate crime laws punish people for their bigoted beliefs.
China's Xi Fools Another U.S. President With Promises of a Fentanyl Crackdown
And once again, Trump is distracted from real policy by symbolic brutality.
Texas is Trying to Execute a Man for a Murder He Didn't Commit
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied a recommendation to relieve him of execution.
Alleged Synagogue Shooter May Be a Monster, but He Shouldn't Be Executed
No matter how heinous the crime, the state shouldn't be in the business of killing its citizens.
Washington State Supreme Court Strikes Down Death Penalty
According to the court, "The death penalty is invalid because it is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner."
Saudi Arabia Wants To Execute a Female Activist for Protesting the Government
Israa al-Ghomgham would be the first female activist to be executed in Saudi Arabia.
Death Row Inmate to State: Just Kill Me Already
Convicted murderer Scott Dozier has already had his execution postponed twice. He says the state should "just get it done."
Catholic Church Changes Doctrine To Oppose Death Penalty
The church's catechism now calls capital punishment "inadmissible" and says it's "an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person."
Louisiana Attorney General Wants State to Hurry Up on Executions—Even If That Means Using 'Hanging, Firing Squad, or Electrocution'
The death penalty may surface as a key issue in the upcoming gubernatorial election in Louisiana.
A Texas Man Is Executed Even After His Victim's Family Pleads for His Life
"His execution doesn't change what he did 14 years ago. It doesn't bring my dad back."
In Oklahoma, Inmates Could Be Gassed to Death by a Substance Unfit to Kill Pets
The American Veterinary Medical Association states that nitrogen may be "distressing" for any animal other than birds.
ACLU Says Nebraska May Have Illegally Imported Execution Drugs
The ACLU asks the DEA to investigate whether the state lied on its applications to get fentanyl for upcoming executions.
Sonia Sotomayor Faults SCOTUS for Failing to Protect Right to Effective Counsel in Death Row Case
Justice Sotomayor dissents from the denial of certiorari in Wessinger v. Vannoy.
America's Secret Death Penalty Drugs
Governments have gone to great effort to keep the sources and methods of their death penalty regimes secret.
What's More Sinister than Russian Election Hackers? [Podcast]
This week's show covers Venezuela, the New York City terrorist attack, Russian hackers, the Republican tax agenda, and a preview of a debate on Capitalism.
No, the U.S. Didn't Just Take a Stand for Executing Gay People
Don't believe the hype about the U.N.'s resolution on the death penalty.
'Thin Blue Line' Bill to Expand Federal Death Penalty Advances in Congress
Just what we need: some more overlapping federal and state laws.
Oklahoma Death Penalty Commission Recommends Extending Moratorium
300-page report identifies variety of problems with current application of the death penalty and makes dozens of recommendations.
In a Rush to Use Expiring Drugs, Arkansas Executed Two Men on Monday
These were executions of convenience.
Taxes, Testosterone, and the Virtues of Overbooking [Reason Podcast]
Reason editors Brian Doherty, Nick Gillespie, and Katherine Mangu-Ward discuss the week's news.
Arkansas Supreme Court Stays Tonight's Executions in Deference to U.S. Supreme Court
Other challenges also delaying state's attempt at an April death penalty spree.
Elected Florida Prosecutor Tries to Stop Using the Death Penalty, but Governor Won't Have It
A cop was killed, so there will be no debate about morality of the system.
