Two men have been removed from death row in Texas in recent weeks based on evidence of their intellectual disabilities. The commutations stem from the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Moore v. Texas, which requires the state to use current medical standards in assessing intellectual disabilities.
Category: U.S. Supreme Court
In this edition of our monthly newsletter, you’ll find information about the two executions scheduled to occur in Texas in May, updates from the 85th Texas Legislature, and links to important information on the U.S. Supreme Court’s hearing of Davila v. Davis.
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider the case of Carlos Ayestas, a Honduran national who was sentenced to death in Harris County, Texas in 1997. This is the third death penalty case out of Harris County to be granted cert by the Justices in the last year. See the statement from Ayestas’ attorneys […]
In this edition of our monthly newsletter, you’ll find a request for action to support clemency for Paul Storey, who is scheduled to be executed by the State of Texas on April 12, 2017. The victim’s parents have appealed to state and local officials to commute his sentence to life without parole.
Today, March 28, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the state of Texas must use current medical standards for determining whether a person is intellectually disabled and therefore exempt from execution. The case – Moore v. Texas – involves Bobby James Moore, who was convicted of killing a grocery story employee during a bungled robbery […]
The State of Texas executed Rolando Ruiz around 11:00 PM last night. The U.S. Supreme Court delayed the execution by more than four hours as it considered three final appeals. Ultimately, the Justices rejected those appeals with Justice Stephen Breyer dissenting. Justice Breyer’s dissent focused on Ruiz’s Lackey claim, arguing that his execution and more […]
Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Texas death row inmate Duane Buck is entitled to a new sentencing hearing. Buck was sentenced to death after a Houston jury heard false and unconstitutional testimony from a defense “expert” that he was more likely to be a future danger because he is black.
On Tuesday, November 29, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court will hold oral argument in Moore v. Texas, a case that addresses Texas’s unscientific standard for determining whether a person is intellectually disabled and therefore exempt from execution. Moore v. Texas asks the Court to decide if it is unconstitutional for Texas “to prohibit the use […]