Ray Jasper and Anthony Doyle, both African American, are scheduled to be executed in the next two weeks for murders they committed as 18-year-old youths. Their cases exemplify the arbitrariness of the death penalty, as the U.S. Supreme Court has banned this punishment for juvenile offenders under the age of 18. Ray Jasper is scheduled […]
racial bias
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Dismisses Duane Buck Petition
Today, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied Duane Buck’s appeal for a new, fair sentencing hearing free from racial bias. With today’s decision, Texas has once again reneged on the clear and unequivocal promise made by former Texas Attorney General (now U.S. Senator) John Cornyn that Mr. Buck would not face execution based on […]
Case Updates: Kimberly McCarthy, Rigoberto Avila, and Duane Buck
It’s been an eventful week for Texas death penalty cases. On Tuesday, June 20, Kimberly McCarthy’s attorney filed an appeal to the Dallas trial court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in an attempt to stop her execution, which is scheduled to occur next Wednesday, June 26. If it proceeds, it will be the […]
Must-see powerful new video: “A Broken Promise in Texas: Race, the Death Penalty and the Duane Buck Case”
Racial bias has no place in the administration of justice – tell that to Harris County, Texas. Duane Buck, sentenced to death in Harris County in 1997, may soon be at risk of execution despite the fact that his death sentence is the clear product of racial discrimination. A powerful new video — narrated by former Texas […]
Texas House Committee Considers Racial Justice Act
On April 16, 2013, the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee considered House Bill 2458, which seeks to prohibit the imposition of a death sentence or execution under any judgment that was sought or obtained on the basis of race. TCADP Executive Director Kristin Houlé testified in support of the bill in front of the committee, as […]
Dallas County District Attorney Agrees to Another Delay in Execution of Kimberly McCarthy
*Update* State District Judge Larry Mitchell has ordered a modification of Kimberly McCarthy’s execution date to June 26, 2013. This comes after Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins agreed with a motion by McCarthy’s attorney to move the date based on pending legislation that may limit the application of the death penalty.
More than 100 Prominent Leaders Call for New Sentencing Hearing for Duane Buck
Today, over 100 prominent individuals from Texas and throughout the country, including civil rights leaders, elected officials, former prosecutors and judges, past and present ABA presidents, and clergy representing seven faith denominations, released a statement urging the Harris County District Attorney to provide a new, fair sentencing hearing for Texas death row inmate Duane Buck. […]
New Study Finds Significant Racial Bias in Harris County’s Death Penalty System
New research released today in an appeal filed by Texas death row inmate Duane Buck shows that at the time of Mr. Buck’s case, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office was over three times more likely to seek the death penalty against African American defendants like Mr. Buck. The research also shows that Harris County juries were […]
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