Supreme Court Poised To Side With Death Row Inmate In Case With Racist Testimony
Duane Buck was sentenced to death after his own expert said he was more dangerous because he was black. The justices agreed it was "indefensible" — but debated the larger effects of the case on Wednesday.
Ohio Plans To Return To Its Controversial Execution Sedative
Two and a half years after a botched execution, Ohio says it intends to return to one of the same drugs.
Alabama Supreme Court Upholds State's Death Penalty Law
Months after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar death penalty sentencing system, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled unanimously that its own system is still constitutional.
Pharmacy Argues There's A First Amendment Right To Secretly Sell Execution Drugs
Selling execution drugs "is an expression of political views, no different than signing a referendum petition or selling a t-shirt," an anonymous pharmacy argues in a new court filing.
Appeals Court Reconsiders Order That Would Have Disclosed Missouri Execution Drug Supplier
A federal appeals court will rehear a case that would have forced the state to reveal the identity of its drug supplier. This time, the supplier will be allowed — anonymously — to weigh in on the matter.
FBI Documents Don’t Back Up Claimed Threat To Execution Drug Supplier
While death penalty states make the case that secrecy laws are needed to protect execution drug suppliers from possible violence, a review of the available information shows evidence for that argument is lacking.
Texas Court Halts Execution Of Man Who Didn't Kill Anyone
Jeff Wood was scheduled to be executed next week. But late Friday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted his execution.
Justice Department Plans To End Use Of Private Prisons
The directive affects 12% of federal prisoners. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates said in a memo that the for-profit facilities "do not maintain the same level of safety and security" as prisons run by the government.
Oklahoma Hired A New Warden After Botches, But Considered Execution Experience Irrelevant
After a string of execution mistakes and resignations, the state is replacing the personnel key to carrying out the death penalty in Oklahoma. But state officials say they view execution experience as "immaterial" in the hiring.
Tim Kaine Has A Long, Complicated History With The Death Penalty
While Kaine has said he personally opposed capital punishment, he is one of the few Democrats in recent years to have carried out executions.
Georgia Executes Man, Ending Two-Month Hiatus On Executions In The U.S.
John Conner was scheduled to die Thursday evening for killing his friend. After some delay in last-minute appeals, the execution was completed a little past midnight.
There's A Standoff Between States And The Feds Over Illegal Execution Drugs
It's been nearly a year since the federal government seized thousands of vials of lethal injection drugs on their way to death penalty states. The states want their drugs, and neither side is showing signs of backing down.
Arkansas Supreme Court Says Transparency In Executions Would Be 'Detrimental To The Process'
The state supreme court ruled against death row inmates, finding the state had no obligation to publicly disclose the drug supplier, and upheld the state's execution protocol.
Scathing Oklahoma Grand Jury Report Showcased Issues Common In Death Penalty States
The grand jury said extreme secrecy employed by state employees “contributed greatly” to execution mistakes. But the problems highlighted in Oklahoma have been raised in many states with the death penalty.
Oklahoma Grand Jury Issues Critical Report After Execution Mistakes
A grand jury began investigating Oklahoma's death penalty methods after multiple botched execution attempts. The jury issued a lengthy critical report, but no one will be indicted for the mistakes.
Arkansas Supreme Court Considers Execution Transparency
Several years ago, the state agreed to disclose where it gets its execution drugs. Then the legislature changed the law, making that information confidential.
Arizona Won't Be Carrying Out Executions Before Its Drugs Expire
Arizona had tried to speed up a legal challenge to its execution methods before its drugs expire at the end of the month. But a federal judge said some of the death row inmates' concerns are valid.
Alabama Execution Halted After Supreme Court Allows Lower Court Order To Stand
Vernon Madison was scheduled to be put to death Thursday, but a federal appeals court put the execution on hold due to concerns that he is not competent to be executed. The Supreme Court, on a 4-4 vote, later denied Alabama's request to lift the stay of execution.
State Judge Strikes Down New Florida Death Penalty Law
"[W]e insist," Judge Milton Hirsch writes, that decisions of life and death "reflect the will of all rather than the will of the few or even the many."
Georgia Executes Man Who Killed Two Children And Their Father
Daniel Anthony Lucas and an accomplice killed two children and their father as part of a burglary in 1998. The accomplice was executed in 2010.