Ensuring Competent Counsel in Death Penalty Cases Hearing
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S. HRG. 107–485 PROTECTING THE INNOCENT: ENSURING COMPETENT COUNSEL IN DEATH PENALTY CASES HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JUNE 27, 2001 Serial No. J–107–29 Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 81–606 PDF ★(Star Print) WASHINGTON : 2002 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Feb 1 2002 10:08 Sep 12, 2002 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 C:\HEARINGS\81606.TXT SJUD4 PsN: CMORC COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont, Chairman EDWARD M. KENNEDY, Massachusetts ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR., Delaware STROM THURMOND, South Carolina HERBERT KOHL, Wisconsin CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD, Wisconsin JON KYL, Arizona CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York MIKE DEWINE, Ohio RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama MARIA CANTWELL, Washington SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas MITCH MCCONNELL, Kentucky BRUCE A. COHEN, Majority Chief Counsel and Staff Director SHARON PROST, Minority Chief Counsel MAKAN DELRAHIM, Minority Staff Director (II) VerDate Feb 1 2002 10:08 Sep 12, 2002 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\HEARINGS\81606.TXT SJUD4 PsN: CMORC C O N T E N T S STATEMENTS OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS Durbin, Hon. Richard J., a U.S. Senator from the State of Illinois .................... 123 Feingold, Hon. Russell D., a U.S. Senator from the State of Wisconsin ............. 69 Hatch, Hon. Orrin G., a U.S. Senator from the State of Utah ............................ 14 Leahy, Hon. Patrick J., a U.S. Senator from the State of Vermont .................... 8 Thurmond, Hon. Strom, a U.S. Senator from the State of South Carolina ........ 148 WITNESSES Brackett, Kevin S., Deputy Solicitor, 16th Judicial District, York, South Caro- lina ........................................................................................................................ 56 Bright, Stephen B., Director, Southern Center for Human Rights, Atlanta, Georgia .................................................................................................................. 33 Collins, Hon. Susan, a U.S. Senator from the State of Maine ............................. 6 Delahunt, Hon. William D., a Representative in Congress from the State of Massachusetts .................................................................................................. 3 Eisenberg, Ronald, Deputy District Attorney, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ....... 45 Ellis, Hon. Rodney, Texas State Senator, Austin, Texas ..................................... 29 Graham, Michael R., Roanoke, Virginia ................................................................ 42 LaHood, Hon. Ray, a Representative in Congress from the State of Illinois ..... 1 Pryor, Hon. William H., Jr., Attorney General, State of Alabama, Mont- gomery, Alabama .................................................................................................. 20 Wilkinson, Beth, Co-Chair, Constitution Project’s Death Penalty Initiative, Washington, D.C. ................................................................................................. 52 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Responses of Kevin S. Bracket to questions submitted by Senator Leahy ......... 78 Responses of Steven B. Bright to questions submitted by Senator Durbin ........ 80 Responses of Steven B. Bright to questions submitted by Senator Leahy ......... 81 Response of Rodney Ellis to a question submitted by Senator Leahy ................ 84 Responses of William H. Pryor, Jr. to questions submitted by Senator Durbin 85 Responses of William H. Pryor, Jr. to questions submitted by Senator Leahy .. 87 SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD Administrative Office of the United States Courts, Washington, DC: Executive Summary ......................................................................................... 93 Leonidas Ralph Mecham, Director, July 5, 2001, letter ................................ 103 Leonidas Ralph Mecham, Director, July 16, 2001, letter .............................. 105 American Bar Association, Governmental Affairs Office, Norman Lefstein, Washington, DC, statement ................................................................................ 105 Benjamin, Steven D., Benjamin & DesPortes, P.C., Richmond, VA, statement . 110 Brackett, Kevin S., Deputy Solicitor, State of South Carolina, York, SC, July 2, 2001, letter ............................................................................................... 112 Bruck, David I., Attorney, Columbia, SC: statement .......................................................................................................... 113 letter, July 2, 2001 ........................................................................................... 117 Constitution Project’s Death Penalty Initiative, Washington, DC, summary of recommendations and attachment ................................................................. 118 Equal Justice Initiative, Bryan A. Stevenson, Executive Director, Mont- gomery, AL, statement ........................................................................................ 124 Firestone, David, New York Times, June 16, 2001, article .................................. 128 Former prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and Justice Department offi- cials, statement .................................................................................................... 130 (III) VerDate Feb 1 2002 10:08 Sep 12, 2002 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\HEARINGS\81606.TXT SJUD4 PsN: CMORC IV Page Liebman, James S., Simon H. Rifkind Professor of Law, Columbia Law School, New York, NY, July 2, 2001, letter ....................................................... 131 Lloyd, Charles J., Lindquist & Vennum, P.L.L.P., Minneapolis, MN, June 26, 2001, letter ..................................................................................................... 134 Louisiana Crisis Assistance Center, Clive Stafford Smith, Director, New Orle- ans, LA, statement ............................................................................................... 135 Mississippi Post-Conviction Counsel Project, Charles J. Press, Director, Jack- son, MS, statement .............................................................................................. 139 Pescetta, Michael, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, statement ......... 141 Rowley, Maureen Kearney, Chief Federal Defender, Eastern District of Penn- sylvania, Philadelphia, PA, July 5, 2001, letter ................................................ 143 Smith, Hon. Gordon H., a U.S. Senator from the State of Oregon, statement ... 145 Texas Defender Service, Maurie Levin, Managing Attorney, Austin, TX, state- ment ...................................................................................................................... 145 Young, Denise, Attorney, Tempe, AZ, statement .................................................. 149 VerDate Feb 1 2002 10:08 Sep 12, 2002 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\HEARINGS\81606.TXT SJUD4 PsN: CMORC PROTECTING THE INNOCENT: ENSURING COMPETENT COUNSEL IN DEATH PENALTY CASES WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2001 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, Washington, DC. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:04 a.m., in room SD–226, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Patrick J. Leahy, Chairman of the Committee, presiding. Present: Senators Leahy, Feinstein, Feingold, Hatch, Specter, and Sessions. Chairman. LEAHY. Good morning. I am going to withhold my opening statement for a few minutes to accommodate two of the most distinguished members of the House who have a vote in a short while. I would just note that the Members are Congressman Ray LaHood, of Illinois, and Congressman William Delahunt, of Massa- chusetts. Both Mr. LaHood and Mr. Delahunt are close personal friends, one a Republican, one a Democrat. They are the main sponsors of this legislation in the other body, and with the permis- sion of Senator Collins, I thought we would go first with their statements. I appreciate very much their taking the time to be here. I also applaud the enormous amount of work done in a totally bipartisan fashion in the other body. Congressman LaHood? STATEMENT OF HON. RAY LAHOOD, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ILLINOIS Representative LAHOOD. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you very much for accommodating our schedule and the fact that we have a vote. I am going to be very brief. I assume our statements will be made a part of the record. Chairman LEAHY. They will. Representative LAHOOD. Let me just say, as a Republican, as much as I dislike the idea of all of you folks taking over the Senate, I think this really enhances our opportunity to pass this bill, your bill, and thank you for your leadership in this and getting us all involved in the House. You really have shown extraordinary leader- ship on this issue. Just very briefly, Mr. Chairman, I have been a proponent of the death penalty and still am a proponent of the death penalty, but I do believe that when the death penalty is meted out and adminis- (1) VerDate Feb 1 2002 10:08 Sep 12, 2002 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\HEARINGS\81606.TXT