Tennessee death row inmate resentenced after racism claim
3 years, 2 months ago

Tennessee death row inmate resentenced after racism claim

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A judge on Tuesday resentenced a Tennessee death row inmate to life in prison for the second time in two years, after finding the man's trial was marred by racism during jury selection. The state Attorney General's Office could still appeal Abdur’Rahman's resentencing. The 2019 resentencing came after Abdur’Rahman, who is Black petitioned to reopen his case, presenting evidence that prosecutors at his trial treated Black potential jurors differently from white potential jurors. In an unusual move, the state Attorney General's Office appealed, arguing that Watkins didn’t have the authority to modify Abdur’Rahman’s sentence based merely on an agreement with the district attorney.

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History of this topic

Justices refuse to stop execution of South Carolina inmate who says the jury was racially biased
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Justices refuse to stop execution of South Carolina inmate who says the jury was racially biased

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday refused to …

Former death row inmate in Mississippi to be resentenced to life with possibility of parole
1 year, 4 months ago

Former death row inmate in Mississippi to be resentenced to life with possibility of parole

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A former death row inmate …

Death row inmate challenges new Tennessee post-conviction law
1 year, 7 months ago

Death row inmate challenges new Tennessee post-conviction law

Associated Press  

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tennessee death row inmate is challenging the newly expanded authority of the appointed state attorney general to argue certain capital cases, a power that lawmakers shifted away from locally elected prosecutors under a new law after some expressed reluctance to pursue the death penalty. Richard Dieter, the Death Penalty Information Center’s executive director, said tension exists …

Death row inmate challenges new Tennessee post-conviction law
1 year, 7 months ago

Death row inmate challenges new Tennessee post-conviction law

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Tennessee death row inmate …

Death row inmate who acted as own attorney seeks new trial
1 year, 10 months ago

Death row inmate who acted as own attorney seeks new trial

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Tennessee man on death …

Alabama Supreme Court denies new trial for death row inmate
2 years ago

Alabama Supreme Court denies new trial for death row inmate

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday denied a new trial for a death row inmate in a case that has seen the district attorney, former state attorney general and a former chief justice join calls to reexamine his conviction. Johnson’s lawyers had argued he was due a new trial because the state failed to disclose a key …

Appeals Court weighs death row inmate’s disability claims
2 years, 2 months ago

Appeals Court weighs death row inmate’s disability claims

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Attorneys for Tennessee death row inmate Byron Black told a state appeals court on Tuesday that he should not be executed because he is intellectually disabled. However, the defendant cannot file a new disability claim “if the issue of whether the defendant has an intellectual disability has been previously adjudicated on the merits.” Senior Assistant Attorney General …

Tennessee DA seeks death sentence commutation, AG against
2 years, 2 months ago

Tennessee DA seeks death sentence commutation, AG against

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s conservative attorney general and Nashville’s liberal district attorney are at odds over whether a death row inmate is intellectually disabled and consequently should not be executed. A defendant cannot file a new disability claim “if the issue of whether the defendant has an intellectual disability has been previously adjudicated on the merits.” Nonetheless, Black filed a …

Court rejects Black Texas death row inmate’s race bias claim
2 years, 3 months ago

Court rejects Black Texas death row inmate’s race bias claim

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from a Black Texas death row inmate who argued he didn’t get a fair trial because jurors who convicted him objected to interracial marriage. The court’s three liberal justices dissented from the court’s order turning away the appeal from inmate Andre Thomas. “No jury deciding whether to recommend a …

Claiming innocence, Alabama death row inmate seeks new trial
2 years, 4 months ago

Claiming innocence, Alabama death row inmate seeks new trial

Associated Press  

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Toforest Johnson, 49, has spent half his life on Alabama’s death row for the murder of a sheriff’s deputy, a killing he says he did not commit. Former Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley, former Chief Justice Drayton Nabers, and several former judges and prosecutors submitted briefs to the circuit court, or wrote editorials, supporting a new trial …

Tennessee execution pause through 2022 could last longer
2 years, 7 months ago

Tennessee execution pause through 2022 could last longer

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After Tennessee Gov. Many of the problems surfaced as part of challenges of Tennessee’s execution process by two death row inmates in federal court. Those cases are on hold until the investigation ordered by Lee concludes — but in the meantime, the state attorney general’s office acknowledged in a May 6 court filing that there may be …

Judge: Death row inmate can pursue disability claims
2 years, 7 months ago

Judge: Death row inmate can pursue disability claims

Associated Press  

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tennessee death row inmate convicted of a 1994 slaying can pursue arguments that he is intellectually disabled and should not be executed under state law, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris issued an order Tuesday granting a stay in federal court proceedings for Tyrone Chalmers, who was convicted in 1997 of …

Attorneys want moratorium, probe after execution halted
2 years, 8 months ago

Attorneys want moratorium, probe after execution halted

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After an undisclosed “oversight” forced Tennessee to call off the execution of Oscar Smith an hour before he was to die last week, Smith’s attorneys on Thursday asked for a moratorium on executions and a review of the state’s execution protocols. Bill Lee issued a brief statement on April 21 at 5:42 p.m. saying that “due to …

Tennessee governor declines to intervene as execution looms
2 years, 8 months ago

Tennessee governor declines to intervene as execution looms

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s governor said Tuesday that he will not intervene in the scheduled execution later this week of an inmate convicted of fatally stabbing and shooting his estranged wife and her sons decades ago. “After thorough consideration of Oscar Smith’s request for clemency and an extensive review of the case, the State of Tennessee’s sentence will stand, and …

Tennessee death row inmate seeks to halt execution next week over DNA evidence
2 years, 9 months ago

Tennessee death row inmate seeks to halt execution next week over DNA evidence

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors …

DA: Intellectual disability should prevent inmate execution
2 years, 10 months ago

DA: Intellectual disability should prevent inmate execution

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nashville’s lead prosecutor says he agrees with defense attorneys that a death row inmate is intellectually disabled and should not face execution. The district attorney’s statements came in a filing responding to a motion by Black’s attorneys, who are asking a judge to determine that the inmate has an intellectual disability that prohibits his execution. The district …

Man facing death in couple’s fatal stabbing gets reprieve
2 years, 10 months ago

Man facing death in couple’s fatal stabbing gets reprieve

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — A Texas inmate who was scheduled to be the first to be executed by the state this year received a reprieve from an appeals court on Thursday. Michael Dean Gonzales had been set to receive a lethal injection on Tuesday evening for fatally stabbing an elderly couple during a burglary of their West Texas home nearly 30 years …

Tennessee judge vacates 2 death sentences for inmate
3 years, 1 month ago

Tennessee judge vacates 2 death sentences for inmate

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “I told him it was alright, 'I got you.’” Shelby County Criminal …

Tennessee death row inmate resentenced after racism claim
3 years, 2 months ago

Tennessee death row inmate resentenced after racism claim

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A judge on Tuesday resentenced a Tennessee death row inmate to life in prison for the second time in two years, after finding the man’s trial was marred by racism during jury selection. The 2019 resentencing came after Abdur’Rahman, who is Black, petitioned to reopen his case, presenting evidence that prosecutors at his trial treated Black potential …

Tennessee death row inmate makes rare court appearance
3 years, 5 months ago

Tennessee death row inmate makes rare court appearance

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Tennessee death row inmate made a rare …

Tennessee governor gives death row inmate temporary reprieve
4 years, 2 months ago

Tennessee governor gives death row inmate temporary reprieve

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Gov. Lee granted one in July to Harold Nichols, and the Tennessee Supreme Court issued two earlier reprieves to Oscar Smith and Byron Black. Payne’s attorneys have also said he should not be executed because he is intellectually disabled, and the U.S. Supreme Court has said that executing those with intellectual disabilities violates the U.S. Constitution. …

Tennessee inmate who claims innocence asks for clemency
4 years, 3 months ago

Tennessee inmate who claims innocence asks for clemency

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Tennessee death row inmate …

Tennessee death row inmate claims intellectual disability
4 years, 4 months ago

Tennessee death row inmate claims intellectual disability

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee death row inmate is asking a federal judge to postpone his December execution, saying that he is intellectually disabled. In his petition to the federal court in Nashville, Payne asks the judge to postpone his execution until after Tennessee’s law is amended and a court examines his intellectual disability claim. The Monday filing claims the …

Tennessee governor delays scheduled execution due to virus
4 years, 5 months ago

Tennessee governor delays scheduled execution due to virus

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee death row inmate received a rare temporary reprieve from Gov. “I am granting Harold Wayne Nichols a temporary reprieve from execution until December 31, 2020, due to the challenges and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Lee said in a statement. He chose the electric chair over Tennessee’s preferred execution method of lethal injection — …

Court examines resentencing based on claim of racism
4 years, 7 months ago

Court examines resentencing based on claim of racism

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The fate of a black death row inmate in Tennessee, whose sentence was reduced to life in prison over concerns about racism at his trial, is up in the air after the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals on Tuesday heard an appeal of the sentence reduction. Abdur’Rahman filed to reopen his case in 2016, shortly after the …

Death row inmate scheduled to die by electric chair loses last attempt at life in prison
4 years, 10 months ago

Death row inmate scheduled to die by electric chair loses last attempt at life in prison

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Tennessee governor has …

Condemned Tennessee inmate will be spared execution
5 years, 4 months ago

Condemned Tennessee inmate will be spared execution

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee inmate is leaving death row eight months before what would have been his execution date, after a judge approved an agreement Friday to convert his death sentence to life in prison. Abu-Ali Abdur’Rahman signed the agreement with prosecutors Wednesday, but Nashville Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins did not announce his approval until Friday morning. Abdur’Rahman’s …

Tennessee governor won’t intervene in execution
5 years, 8 months ago

Tennessee governor won’t intervene in execution

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Republican Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday announced he will not intervene in this week’s scheduled lethal injection of a Tennessee inmate who had undergone a religious conversion. “After a prayerful and deliberate consideration of Don Johnson’s request for clemency, and after a thorough review of the case, I am upholding the sentence of the state of Tennessee …

Judge denies retrial request for federal death row inmate
5 years, 10 months ago

Judge denies retrial request for federal death row inmate

Associated Press  

OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma man’s new trial request for a 1999 federal murder conviction and death sentence in Arkansas has been denied, with the judge saying he doesn’t have jurisdiction while noting that evidence presented by attorneys “is reasonably likely” to have led to a different sentence. Tuesday’s order by U.S. District Judge Leon Holmes said that because the …

Tennessee Death Row Inmates Request Death By Firing Squad
6 years, 2 months ago

Tennessee Death Row Inmates Request Death By Firing Squad

NPR  

Tennessee Death Row Inmates Request Death By Firing Squad Enlarge this image toggle caption Mark Humphrey/AP Mark Humphrey/AP Updated at 9 p.m. ET Four Tennessee death row inmates challenging the constitutionality of capital punishment in their state are asking a federal judge to allow them to bypass lethal injections or the electric chair in favor of another method: death by …

Capital Prisoners Entitled To Humane Death: Justice Sotomayor Terms ‘Three-Drug Cocktail’ Execution Method In Tennessee As ‘State-Sponsored Brutality’
6 years, 2 months ago

Capital Prisoners Entitled To Humane Death: Justice Sotomayor Terms ‘Three-Drug Cocktail’ Execution Method In Tennessee As ‘State-Sponsored Brutality’

Live Law  

“The longer we stand silent amid growing evidence of inhumanity in execution methods like Tennessee’s, the longer we extend our own complicity in state- “The longer we stand silent amid growing evidence of inhumanity in execution methods like Tennessee’s, the longer we extend our own complicity in state- Justice Sonia Sotomayor, once again, dissented with SCOTUS that denied a stay …

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