Fifty years after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Gregg v. Georgia decision reinstated capital punishment, historical analysis indicates that the procedural safeguards intended to guide sentencing have not eliminated systemic disparities. Data reveals persistent inequities in capital sentencing outcomes, influenced by factors such as race, geographic location, and prosecutorial discretion.
Political commentator Van Jones and conservative attorney David Safavian argued in a July 17 USA Today opinion essay that unreliable forensic evidence, frequently termed ‘junk science,’ contributes to wrongful convictions and erodes public confidence in the U.S. criminal justice system, advocating for states to adopt stricter standards such as Federal Rule of Evidence 702 for admitting expert testimony.
In Episode 335 of “Everyday Injustice,” veteran criminal defense attorney Iris Eytan discussed the significant structural failures within the American criminal legal system, specifically addressing the lack of meaningful accountability for prosecutorial misconduct. Eytan, founder of Protect Ethical Prosecutors, advocated for legislative and ballot measure reforms to permit wrongfully accused individuals to pursue civil claims against prosecutors in limited cases, asserting that such measures would deter misconduct and restore public confidence in the justice system.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced a reversal of his position on capital punishment, advocating for its abolition due to its demonstrated ineffectiveness as a deterrent and its adverse impact on correctional personnel and the families of homicide victims.
Tennessee’s scheduled execution of death row prisoner Tony Carruthers was suspended after prison officials were unable to establish the intravenous lines required for lethal injection, leading Governor Bill Lee to grant a one-year reprieve and intensifying national scrutiny of capital punishment protocols and concerns regarding potential wrongful convictions.
The U.S. Department of Justice has proposed new regulations that would permit the Attorney General to accelerate federal death penalty appeals by certifying states based on their assurances of competent legal representation, a move that has drawn criticism from public defenders and advocacy organizations warning of an increased risk of wrongful executions.
A special edition of the Everyday Injustice podcast convened a discussion on wrongful convictions, prosecutorial misconduct, police accountability, and the future of criminal justice reform in California, featuring host David Greenwald, Ben Free Project founder Ben Frandsen, legal advocate Lydia Morgan, and Santa Clara County District Attorney candidate Daniel Chung. The dialogue centered on Chung’s campaign to unseat incumbent Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen and broader systemic failures within the criminal legal system.
The Florida Supreme Court has ordered additional DNA analysis in the decades-old death penalty case of James Duckett, which could delay his execution further and raise questions about his conviction.
The Batson v. Kentucky ruling, which prohibits prosecutors from rejecting potential jurors based on race, has not been successful in preventing racially biased jury selection, as evidenced by the Innocence Project’s research and cases of wrongful convictions and executions of Black individuals.
DNA testing has led to over 600 exonerations since 1989, but access to post-conviction analysis is limited due to restrictive legislation and high costs.
Tyrece Williams, who was exonerated in 2009 after spending 20 years in prison, is fighting for a certificate of innocence to clear his name and give his children an official document acknowledging the injustice, but prosecutors under State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke are resisting the effort.
The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee voted to advance two bipartisan bills that would eliminate the death penalty in the state and replace existing death sentences with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Melissa Lucio remains on death row in Cameron County, Texas, nearly four years after her scheduled execution was halted and nearly two years after the state district judge who sentenced her signed a motion to vacate her conviction, due to claims that exonerating evidence was withheld at trial.
Gennel Miles was released after serving 16 years in prison for a felony murder conviction based on weak testimony, due to California’s felony murder reforms and the efforts of the Felony Murder Resentencing Project.
Judge Austin Reeve Jackson will review evidence to determine if Robert Roberson should receive a new trial, after his conviction for the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter was based on the now-discredited ‘shaken baby syndrome’ theory.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Texas death row prisoner Rodney Reed, rejecting his latest effort to obtain DNA testing that he argues could prove his innocence.
The ACLU of Tennessee has filed a motion with the Tennessee Supreme Court to conduct DNA testing in the case of Tony Carruthers, arguing that the results could prove his innocence before the state carries out the execution.
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 5-0 to deny clemency for death row prisoner Raymond Eugene Johnson, drawing criticism from the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (OK-CADP) due to the state’s high execution rate and issues with racial bias, wrongful convictions, and illegal procurement of killing drugs.
Rodney Reed was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites in Texas, but has repeatedly sought DNA testing of the belt used to strangle her, which Texas officials have refused to allow despite evidence suggesting another suspect and possible racial bias in the all-white jury that convicted him.
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