Train Crash Could Result in Death Penalty. On the morning of January 26, 2005, Juan Miguel Alvarez parked his jeep on the Los Angeles Metrolink tracks about 1/2 mile from downtown Glendale. As a train full of commuters approached, Alvarez ran from the jeep. The collision killed eleven and injured 180. In an LA Times story, writer Ann S. Simmons reports that, at the upcoming trial, Alvarez will claim that he was attempting suicide and never intended to hurt anyone. The prosecution will argue that the jeep was doused with gasoline with the parking brake set when Alvarez left it, suggesting he intended to kill. If the jury finds intent, he could receive a death sentence. Murder in the course of train wrecking is a "special circumstance" in California. See Penal Code § 190.2(a)(17)(I). Not sure if this paragraph has ever been used before.

Death Penalty Politics: In the aftermath of the Baze decision, the speed with which some death penalty states move to resume executions may be more about politics than substance. AP writer Stephen Majors has this story on Ohio Governor Ted Strickland's reluctance to take action, contrasting him with Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

Funding Terror: Mary Anastasia O'Grady has this article in the WSJ on the role of "nongovernmental organizations" (NGOs) in funding lobbyists for terrorist organizations. George Soros's Open Society is among those funding an organization that lobbies for the Peruvian terrorist group Tupac Amaru.