Single drug execution: Jason Mumpower, the Republican leader in the Tennessee House of Representatives, has this op-ed in the Tennessean calling on the state to "explore other options, such as the one-drug method form of lethal injection that has not been challenged in any court." (Hat tip: SL&P) Of course, the reason it hasn't been challenged is that no state is using it. Even so, it would be harder for the opponents to challenge it given that their own experts having been saying it is better. Harder, but not impossible, as their present attack on their own previously proffered alternative demonstrates.

Parole hearing backlogs are the subject of a court-imposed deadline in California, according to this AP story by Jason Dearen. A simple way to reduce backlogs is to hold the hearings less often.

The Baze argument on lethal injection will be released in audio on an expedited basis, according to this press release from the Supreme Court.

Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's driver, body guard, and weapons deliverer, is not a prisoner of war and will face a war crimes trial at Gitmo, a military judge has ruled. Ben Fox reports for AP.

Obama "Present": In the Illinois Senate, Barack Obama had a tendency to vote "present" on contentious bills, including tough crime bills, report Raymond Hernandez and Christopher Drew in the NYT. (Hat tip: Corrections Sentencing). Is this political fence-straddling? Regarding one such bill, "Mr. Obama’s aides said he was more concerned about whether the bill would be effective rather than with its political consequences. They did not explain why he did not just vote no."