Last night, November 16, 2022, the State of Texas executed Stephen Barbee despite the violation of his constitutional right to a fair trial that occurred when his lawyers unexpectedly and impermissibly conceded his guilt to the jury despite Barbee’s insistence on his innocence. The execution took longer than unusual because of Barbee’s physical disabilities, a concern […]
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State of Texas executes Tracy Beatty
On November 9, 2022, the State of Texas executed Tracy Beatty. He was convicted of killing his mother, Carolyn Click, in Smith County in 2003. Beatty faced execution in March 2020 but received a stay from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals because of the health crisis created by COVID-19. He also had an execution date […]
In this edition: Scheduled executions: State of Texas set to execute two men this month; both had previous execution dates in the past two years Case updates: U.S. Supreme Court hears DNA-related challenge in case of Rodney Reed; Justices decline to consider egregious racial bias harbored by some of the jurors who sentenced Andre Thomas to death; […]
In this edition Scheduled executions: Ramiro Gonzales, facing execution on July 13, seeks clemency; judge rejects motion to withdraw execution date for John Ramirez In case you missed it: U.S. Supreme Court refuses to grant relief to Terence Andrus, despite its own ruling in the Texas death penalty case two years ago; Tarrant County jury rejects the […]
Today, June 29, 2022, marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Furman vs. Georgia (1972), which overturned all existing death penalty laws in effect at the time. In Furman, the Justices ruled that the death penalty system, as it was being administered, was arbitrary, capricious, and discriminatory. Justice Potter Stewart said death sentences were as […]
In this edition Scheduled executions: Texas Attorney General’s Office opposes date withdrawal for John Ramirez; Harris County judge declines to set an execution date for Arthur Brown In case you missed it: U.S. Supreme Court guts federal review of cases involving poor legal representation; Amnesty International reports on use of the death penalty worldwide; Texas Court […]
In this edition Scheduled executions: State of Texas carries out its first execution in more than six months; Texas Court of Criminal Appeals grants a stay to Melissa Lucio In case you missed it: Nueces County District Attorney calls the death penalty “unethical”; forensic science reformers and exonerees file briefs in support of Robert Roberson; […]
UPDATE: Tonight the State of Texas put to death Carl Wayne Buntion, the first execution in the state in over six months. At age 78, Buntion is the oldest person executed by the State of Texas. We are grateful to his attorneys, who fought valiantly to stop his execution, and to everyone who supported Buntion’s […]