“Judges’ Dissents for Death Row Inmates Are Rising”
The number of judges dissenting — often strongly — from death penalty rulings is increasing, according to this Aug. 13, 2009, story in The New York Times.
Category: Law & courts
“New Mexico governor repeals death penalty in state”
In 2009, New Mexico joined the list of states no longer using capital punishment. Gov. Bill Richardson signed legislation in March repealing the state’s death penalty and replacing it with a maximum sentence of life without parole. This March 18, 2009, CNN story gives the details.
“Trial by Fire”
The case of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed by Texas in 2004 for setting a fire that killed his three daughters, was re-examined in light of assertions that Willingham may have been innocent and that evidence was overlooked by the authorities. A 2009 investigation by the Texas Forensic Science Commission found the claims that […]
“U.S. Death Penalty Support Stable at 63%”
Gallup publishes an annual survey each October on attitudes toward the death penalty. The January 2013 survey shows the consistency of general support for capital punishment: 63 percent in favor of the death penalty. The poll also shows Republicans and Independents are much more likely to support the death penalty than Democrats. But when given the choice […]
“Tom Cruise sues South Park”
Read a discussion posted on FreeSpeechDebate.com about whether or not it was acceptable for Tom Cruise to threaten to sue South Park over an episode making fun of Scientology.
Geoffrey Miller
Dr. Geoffrey Miller is professor of pediatrics and neurology at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. He wrote Extreme Prematurity: Practices, Bioethics and the Law (2007).
Douglas Johnson
Douglas Johnson is legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee, which opposes embryonic stem cell research. He says bills such as one New Jersey passed in 2003 legalizing embryonic stem cell research promote fetus farming. Contact Megan Dillon.
Genetics and Public Policy Center
The Genetics & Public Policy Center of the Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C., “works to help policy leaders, decision makers, and the public better understand the rapidly evolving field of human genetics and its application to healthcare.” The Center studies the ethical, social and legal implications of genetic technologies, including PGD, surveys public opinion on genetics, […]
Wendy Baldwin
Wendy Baldwin is vice president for research at the University of Kentucky in Louisville. She has argued before the Kentucky state legislature in favor of embryonic stem cell research.