Forged Affidavits. During clemency proceedings for California death row inmate Michael Morales, attorneys Kenneth Starr and David Senior turned in affidavits from jurors stating that they now did not want the sentence executed. Problem was, the jurors never saw or signed those affidavits. They never met investigator Kathleen Culhane, who supposedly obtained them. Yesterday, state DoJ officers executed a search warrant at Culhane's apartment. She is suspected of similar misconduct in three other cases, and the ripples could extend further. Scott Smith of the Stockton Record reports here, and Bob Egelko of the San Francisco Chronicle here.

Crime Votes. CJLF Legal Director Kent Scheidegger has this letter in the Wall Street Journal, noting that even as the Democrats were winning Congress, voters were sticking with the tough-on-crime approach in ballot measures, even in so-called "blue states."

The "60 Freeway Slayer" was convicted of six counts of first-degree murder in Los Angeles, the AP reports. The defense contested only the degree of murder, arguing that the killings were not premeditated.

The Federalist Society had its convention last week, and David Montgomery has this article in the Washington Post. The notion that the FedSoc is somehow "conspiratorial" is complete nonsense, as all its cards are face up on the table.