Supreme Court blocks Texas execution over intellectual disability
The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in Moore v. Texas that the factors considered by Texas in determining a defendant was not intellectually disabled do not comport with the Eighth Amendment or...
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to review a lethal injection case from Alabama, over the dissent of Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer. The appeal was filed by inmate Tommy Arthur, who was...
Federal judge refuses to lift order delaying Ohio exeuctions
A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on Tuesday refused to lift a preliminary injunction that delays executions in Ohio. Last month Judge Michael Merz blocked Ohio's lethal...
A federal judge on Thursday blocked Ohio's lethal injection protocol. The protocol, which uses three drugs, was rejected as the sedative midazolam was deemed insufficiently humane. The sedative has been used in numerous states that experienced problematic executions....
ACLU files suit against Wisconsin officials over treatment of youth in correctional facilities
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin and Juvenile Law Center filed a class action lawsuit against four Wisconsin state officials on Tuesday. The complaint alleges that solitary confinement and inhumane conditions are...
Federal judge declines to delay execution over drug controversy
A judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Tuesday declined to delay the execution of convicted killer Ricky Gray, which is scheduled to take place January 18. Gray's attorneys argued in December...
Mississippi top court allows challenge to lethal injection drug
The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a death row inmate may challenge the use of a controversial lethal injection drug. The court ruled 5-4 that Charles Ray Crawford may pursue a challenge in state court...
Supreme Court hears argument on Texas death penalty disability standard
The US Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in Moore v. Texas , a case challenging Texas' standard for determining whether a person is intellectually disabled and therefore cannot be subject to capital punishment. In...
Putting the 2016 Capital Punishment Ballot Initiatives in Perspective
JURIST Guest Columnist John H. Blume of Cornell Law School discusses the current state of the death penalty in the United States...On November 8th, voters in three states endorsed "pro-death penalty" measures. In Nebraska, an initiative asking voters to reinstate...
Arkansas Supreme Court upholds lethal injection protocol and secrecy law
The Arkansas Supreme Court upheld a state law Thursday that allows for the type, manufacturers and sellers of drugs used for lethal injections to be kept confidential. This ruling would allow the execution of eight death...
