Foreign Coverage of U.S. Death Penalty: At Sentencing Law and Policy, Doug Berman posts a few articles from "across the pond" reporting on the state of the death penalty in the United States and abroad. Chris McGreal reports for the U.K.'s Guardian that "Texas accounts for half of executions in the US but now having doubts over death row." McGreal also reports that convicted murder Danielle Simpson is claiming that his years on death row have been a "form of torture." Meanwhile, Irish Times writer Carol Coulter reports that former-Irish High Court Justice Richard Johnson believes the Irish government should look into the death penalty, because "if the people want it they should have it." The former judge is in favor of revisiting whether Ireland should have a death penalty. A constitutional ban on the death penalty was introduced as the 21st amendment to the Irish Constitution in 2001.
Monday's Supreme Court Action: Tony Mauro reports for Blog of Legal Times, that the Court began the morning with a brief recognition of Justice O'Connor's late husband by Chief Justice Roberts Jr. Mauro reports that the Chief Justice spoke on behalf of the Court and retired Justice Souter to express their "profound sympathy" to retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Mauro also commented that today's per curiam decision in Wong v. Belmontes, marks the third time the Supreme Court has reinstated the death penalty for Fernando Belmontes Jr., convicted in the 1981 murder of a California woman in the course of a burglary. Volokh Conspiracy blogger Orin Kerr, comments that while there is nothing unusual about the Supreme Court reversing "liberal lion" Stephen Reinhardt on a death penalty case, the Belmontes case was unique for the simple fact that Reinhardt authored every opinion that the Supreme Court reversed in this case. Kent's earlier post, "Thrice Vacated," elaborates on the Supreme Court's decision.
Prosecuting Khalid Sheik Mohammed: Wall Street Journal's Law Blogger, Ashby Jones, wonders whether Mohammed will confess, and whether he will get the death penalty. Jones points to an article by Wall Street Journal writer Jess Bravin where Bravin writes that if Mohammed acts to speed his own execution and await what he asserts is glorious martyrdom with a guilty plea in federal court, he would bypass a trial, eliminate the need to select a jury and lead to sentencing probably before the end of 2010. Apparently, Perkins Coie's Harry Schneider, who helped defend Osama bin Laden's former driver, in a military commission, thinks a confession is the likeliest scenario. If the case does go to trial, however, Jones writes that if prosecutors pursue the death penalty, they pull from a jury pool that "is generally perceived by prosecutors and defense lawyers to be more liberal than other places." For more on "The Best Way to Try Terrorists" check out former federal prosecutor James J. Benjamin Jr.'s debate with Glenn Sulmasy on the New York Times Opinion page (hat tip CrimProg Blog).
Monday's Supreme Court Action: Tony Mauro reports for Blog of Legal Times, that the Court began the morning with a brief recognition of Justice O'Connor's late husband by Chief Justice Roberts Jr. Mauro reports that the Chief Justice spoke on behalf of the Court and retired Justice Souter to express their "profound sympathy" to retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Mauro also commented that today's per curiam decision in Wong v. Belmontes, marks the third time the Supreme Court has reinstated the death penalty for Fernando Belmontes Jr., convicted in the 1981 murder of a California woman in the course of a burglary. Volokh Conspiracy blogger Orin Kerr, comments that while there is nothing unusual about the Supreme Court reversing "liberal lion" Stephen Reinhardt on a death penalty case, the Belmontes case was unique for the simple fact that Reinhardt authored every opinion that the Supreme Court reversed in this case. Kent's earlier post, "Thrice Vacated," elaborates on the Supreme Court's decision.
Prosecuting Khalid Sheik Mohammed: Wall Street Journal's Law Blogger, Ashby Jones, wonders whether Mohammed will confess, and whether he will get the death penalty. Jones points to an article by Wall Street Journal writer Jess Bravin where Bravin writes that if Mohammed acts to speed his own execution and await what he asserts is glorious martyrdom with a guilty plea in federal court, he would bypass a trial, eliminate the need to select a jury and lead to sentencing probably before the end of 2010. Apparently, Perkins Coie's Harry Schneider, who helped defend Osama bin Laden's former driver, in a military commission, thinks a confession is the likeliest scenario. If the case does go to trial, however, Jones writes that if prosecutors pursue the death penalty, they pull from a jury pool that "is generally perceived by prosecutors and defense lawyers to be more liberal than other places." For more on "The Best Way to Try Terrorists" check out former federal prosecutor James J. Benjamin Jr.'s debate with Glenn Sulmasy on the New York Times Opinion page (hat tip CrimProg Blog).
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