CA's Death Penalty Delay Put on Trial:  In a case that may head to the U.S. Supreme Court, the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals heard argument this morning in its review of a Los Angeles federal judge's 2014 ruling declaring California's death penalty unconstitutional due to "systemic delays" that render the practice, in the judge's determination, arbitrary and unconstitutional.  Howard Mintz of the San Jose Mercury News reports that U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney concluded in the case of Jones v. Davis, involving a convicted murderer who has been on death row for two decades, that California's death penalty has transformed into "life in prison, with the remote possibility of death."  Attorney General Kamala Harris has urged the appeals court to reverse the decision despite her opposition to the death penalty, pointing out that any delays in reviewing a death row inmate's appeals "are meant to ensure legal protections to avoid mistakes."  Attorneys for death row inmates argue that the problem is not fixable; though CJLF legal director Kent Scheidegger emphasizes the state of Virginia's success in fixing their system and the execution of the D.C. sniper in less than six years.  Another factor for delays in executions is the ongoing legal challenges to the state's lethal injection method that, when resolved, will allow 17 death row inmates who have exhausted all legal appeals to receive immediate execution dates.

Houston Cop Ambushed at a Gas Station:  A Houston deputy was ambushed and killed Friday while refueling his car a gas station when a gunman unloaded the entire clip of his .40 caliber pistol at close range, unleashing a total of 15 shots into the officer.  Fox News reports that 47-year-old Deputy Darren Goforth, a 10-year veteran, was shot in the back of the head by 30-year-old Shannon J. Miles, who then stood over the officer's body and unloaded his remaining ammo.  Miles, who has a lengthy rap sheet, was identified through surveillance footage, and a .40 caliber pistol found in the garage of his home was determined through ballistics to be the murder weapon.  His mother claims her son's innocence, insisting that the two were shopping together at the time of the shooting.  An attorney for Miles says that Miles indicated to officers that he was not involved and is expected to plead not guilty.  The motive for the crime is still unclear.

Kate Steinle's Murder Prompts Some Cooperation:  The July 1 death of a young woman at the hands of an illegal immigrant with a criminal record has prompted four Bay Area counties - Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Marin - to agree to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when inmates flagged by the agency for possible deportation are about to be released.  Tracey Kaplan of the San Jose Mercury News reports that Alameda County has already notified ICE of almost 100 inmates over the past seven weeks, 20 of whom federal agents have taken into custody, while Contra Costa County is notifying federal authorities of only those inmates who have committed serious or violent crimes.  Immigrant-rights advocates argue that notifying ICE of pending releases undermines immigrants' trust in police, and the sheriff of San Francisco, the sanctuary city this heated political issue spawned from, "has no plans to cooperate with ICE."  Two months ago, 32-year-old Kate Steinle was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant with a long criminal history, including five deportations, as she walked along a pier in San Francisco.  The immigrant, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, had been released by San Francisco authorities without notifying ICE.