Judges in Alabama are using their power, ignoring juries and imposing the death penalty on defendants who kill white victims, according to a recent report by the Equal Justice Initiative. Among other findings, the report examines judicial overrides — a little known practice that allows judges to overturn jury-decisions in death penalty cases. From the […]
Since 1976, Alabama state judges have overturned 107 jury decisions in capital cases, and in 92 percent of those cases, jury recommendations of life imprisonment were rejected in favor of death sentences, according to a new report by the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit law firm based in Montgomery, Ala. Last November, jurors in Lee […]
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — The planned execution Thursday of a Mexican national has prompted a flurry of appeals on his behalf, including a rare plea from the White House, because of what it could mean for other foreigners arrested in the U.S. and for Americans detained in other countries. Humberto Leal, 38, is awaiting a ruling […]
