Tennessee death row prisoner Byron Black has filed a motion to deactivate his implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) at the moment of execution, as it could cause a gruesome spectacle of pain and suffering if it were to be activated during the lethal injection.
A coalition of California and national civil rights leaders called on Governor Gavin Newsom to commute the death sentences of all 574 individuals currently on California’s death row, citing systemic injustice, racial bias, and irreparable harm.
The ACLU has released a report finding that the death penalty process systematically excludes Black Americans, women, and religious individuals from the jury box, raising constitutional concerns and calling for the abolition of death qualification.
Florida executed Tommy Gudinas for the 1994 murder of Michelle McGrath, marking the fastest pace of executions under any Florida governor since 1979, and advocates argue that the death penalty does not deliver healing or justice and prolongs pain.
Byron Black, a 68-year-old man on Tennessee’s death row, has filed a petition with the Tennessee Supreme Court to halt his execution due to extensive medical evidence of intellectual disability, brain damage, dementia, and multiple life-threatening physical illnesses.
Robert Roberson’s attorneys have filed an objection to the Texas Attorney General’s request for an execution date, citing new evidence supporting his claim of actual innocence and arguing that scheduling an execution while his case is under review by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals would violate state law and principles of due process.
Corinna Lane, a former prosecutor, discusses the flaws in the US death penalty system, the pharmaceutical crisis that halted lethal injection, and the humanity of those on death row in her book Secrets of the Killing State.
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals lifted a district court’s stay of execution for John Hanson, allowing his execution on June 12, despite unresolved allegations of bias and constitutional violations in his clemency hearing.
A leading Jewish anti-death penalty group, L’chaim, is calling on federal prosecutors to reject capital punishment for Elias Rodriguez, the man charged with the fatal shooting of Israeli Embassy staffers, arguing that executing him would only elevate his profile and incite further violence, and instead urging the U.S. to honor the memories of the victims by rejecting the death penalty and embracing life-affirming values.
Alameda County’s new district attorney, Ursula Jones Dickson, has withdrawn resentencing motions for 10 death row inmates, reversing the previous recommendations made by her predecessor, Pamela Price, who had found systemic prosecutorial misconduct in the cases.
Judge Timothy J. Kelly has declined to issue a ruling in the case of 21 men who were granted clemency by President Biden, but are now being transferred to the Supermax prison facility due to alleged political interference from the federal government.
The Utah Supreme Court has affirmed a lower court’s ruling vacating the conviction and death sentence of Douglas Carter due to extensive constitutional violations during his 1985 trial.
Attorneys for Texas death row prisoner Charles Flores have filed a motion to prevent an execution date, citing concerns over the integrity of his 1999 conviction, which was based on an eyewitness identification obtained through police hypnosis, a method now banned in Texas criminal trials.
The Death Penalty Information Center report reveals a disturbing pattern of prosecutorial misconduct in the death penalty system, resulting in individuals sentenced to death multiple times for the same crime, often due to racial bias and other constitutional violations, and costing millions of taxpayer dollars.
Florida Legislature has passed four bills expanding the state’s death penalty, some of which are unconstitutional, and all are now awaiting Governor Ron DeSantis’ signature.
The courts play a vital role in ensuring fairness and justice, as evidenced by the recent Fischer v. United States Supreme Court decision, which limited the federal government’s use of obstruction statutes, and the role of the judiciary in reexamining flawed trials and evidence to prevent wrongful convictions.
Richard Gerald Jordan, Mississippi’s longest-serving death row inmate, has been scheduled for execution on June 25, 2025, after nearly five decades of litigation and failed appeals.
George Ryan, the former Republican governor of Illinois, died at the age of 91, leaving behind a legacy as a champion of clemency and a critic of the death penalty, who commuted the sentences of all 167 people on Illinois’ death row and pardoned four outright.
Under Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration, California has shifted its death row policy, transferring condemned individuals to rehabilitation centers and opening access to programs and educational opportunities, while victims’ rights groups have expressed anger and frustration at these changes.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has been criticized for his calculated regression, racial bias, and political opportunism in office, including reviving the death penalty, defending inflammatory language, and denying crime victims access to legally guaranteed services.