Petitioner, V

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Petitioner, V No. 19-_____ IN THE Supreme Court of the United States CHRISTA GAIL PIKE, Petitioner, v. GLORIA GROSS, WARDEN, Respondent. On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI ELAINE J. GOLDENBERG STEPHEN FERRELL Counsel of Record FEDERAL DEFENDER SERVICES OF MUNGER, TOLLES & OLSON LLP EASTERN TENNESSEE, INC. 1155 F Street NW, Seventh Floor 800 S. Gay Street, Suite 2400 Washington, DC 20004-1357 Knoxville, TN 37929-9714 (202) 220-1100 [email protected] MARKUS A. BRAZILL DAVID FREENOCK* MUNGER, TOLLES & OLSON LLP 350 S. Grand Avenue Fiftieth Floor Los Angeles, CA 90071-3426 (213) 683-9100 Counsel for Petitioner * Admitted in the District of Columbia and admission pending in California. i CAPITAL CASE QUESTIONS PRESENTED The questions presented are: 1. Whether a defendant who asserts that trial coun- sel failed to present key evidence is precluded from showing prejudice under Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984), unless the evidence omitted at trial differs substantially in subject matter from the evidence actually presented. 2. Whether the Eighth and Fourteenth Amend- ments prohibit condemning to death a defendant who was eighteen years old at the time of the offense. ii PARTIES TO THE PROCEEDING Petitioner Christa Gail Pike was the petitioner be- low. Respondent Gloria Gross, Warden, was the re- spondent below. iii RELATED PROCEEDINGS The proceedings directly related to this petition are: Pike v. Gross, No. 16-5854 (6th Cir. Aug. 22, 2019), rehearing en banc denied (Sept. 26, 2019) Pike v. Freeman, No. 1:12-CV-35 (E.D. Tenn. Mar. 11, 2016) Pike v. State, No. E2009-00016-CCA-R3-PD (Tenn. Crim. App. Apr. 25, 2011), application for permis- sion to appeal denied (Nov. 15, 2011) Pike v. State, No. E2003-00766-SC-R11-PD (Tenn. May 12, 2005) Pike v. State, No. E2002-00766-CCA-R3-PD (Tenn. Crim. App. July 15, 2004) Pike v. State, No. 68280 (Knox Cty. Crim. Ct.) State v. Pike, No. 03S01-9712-CR-00147 (Tenn. Oct. 5, 1998), rehearing denied (Nov. 23 1998) State v. Pike, No. 03C01-9611-CR-00408 (Tenn. Crim. App. Nov. 26, 1997) State v. Pike, No. 58183A (Knox Cty. Crim. Ct.) iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page QUESTIONS PRESENTED ......................................... i PARTIES TO THE PROCEEDING ............................ ii RELATED PROCEEDINGS....................................... iii OPINIONS BELOW .................................................... 1 JURISDICTION .......................................................... 1 CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY PROVISIONS INVOLVED ............................... 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................ 2 STATEMENT OF THE CASE..................................... 3 REASONS FOR GRANTING THE PETITION ........ 18 I. This Court Should Resolve A Deep Conflict Among The Courts Of Appeals Regarding When Omitted Mitigation Evidence Is Cumulative Of Evidence Presented At Trial ........................................... 19 A. The Decision Below Conflicts With Decisions Of Other Courts Of Appeals ............................................ 19 B. The Decision Below Is Wrong. ............. 26 II. This Court’s Review Is Warranted To Determine Whether The Death Penalty May Be Imposed On A Defendant Who Committed The Offense At Age 18 ................. 30 CONCLUSION .......................................................... 34 APPENDIX v Appendix A: Opinion of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (August 22, 2019) ...................................................... 1a Appendix B: Opinion of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (March 11, 2016) ................................... 28a Appendix C: Order of the Supreme Court of Tennessee Denying Certiorari (November 21, 2011) ............................................. 107a Appendix D: Opinion of the Court of Criminal Appeals of Tenneessee (April 25, 2011) ............... 108a Appendix E: Order of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Granting in Part and Denying in Part a Certificate of Appealability (March 30, 2017) ............................. 254a Appendix F: Order of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Denying Rehearing ............................................................... 257a Appendix G: Constitutional Provisions ................ 258a Appendix H: Relevant Statutory Provisions ........ 261a vi TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Page(s) FEDERAL CASES Abdul-Salaam v. Sec’y of Pennsylvania Dep’t of Corr., 895 F.3d 254 (3d Cir. 2018) ............................ 22, 23 Anderson v. Kelley, 938 F.3d 949 (8th Cir. 2019) ................................ 22 Ayestas v. Davis, 138 S. Ct. 1080 (2018) .......................................... 30 Beuke v. Houk, 537 F.3d 618 (6th Cir. 2008) .......................... 20, 21 Bond v. Beard, 539 F.3d 256 (3d Cir. 2008) .................................. 23 Brewer v. Quarterman, 550 U.S. 286 (2007) ................................................ 2 Busby v. Davis, 925 F.3d 699 (5th Cir. 2019) ................................ 21 Clark v. Mitchell, 425 F.3d 270 (6th Cir. 2005) .......................... 16, 17 Cruz v. United States, 2018 WL 1541898 (D. Conn. Mar. 29, 2018)...................................................................... 31 Cullen v. Pinholster, 563 U.S. 170 (2011) .............................................. 21 vii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES (continued) Page(s) Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972) ................................................ 3 Greene v. Fisher, 565 U.S. 34 (2011) ................................................ 30 Griffin v. Pierce, 622 F.3d 831 (7th Cir. 2010) .......................... 23, 24 Hill v. Mitchell, 400 F.3d 308 (6th Cir. 2005) .......................... 20, 27 Holsey v. Warden, 694 F.3d 1230 (11th Cir. 2012) ............................ 20 Jermyn v. Horn, 266 F.3d 257 (3d Cir. 2001) ............................ 22, 23 Kayer v. Ryan, 923 F.3d 692 (9th Cir. 2019) .......................... 24, 25 Lockett v. Ohio, 438 U.S. 586 (1978) .............................................. 13 Martinez v. Ryan, 566 U.S. 1 (2012) .................................................... 2 Miller v. Alabama, 567 U.S. 460 (2012) .............................................. 17 Montgomery v. Louisiana, 136 S. Ct. 718 (2016) ...................................... 17, 30 viii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES (continued) Page(s) Newbury v. Stephens, 756 F.3d 850 (5th Cir. 2014) ................................ 21 NRA v. ATF, 700 F.3d 185 (5th Cir. 2012) ................................ 32 Panetti v. Quarterman, 551 U.S. 930 (2007) .............................................. 29 Porter v. McCollum, 558 U.S. 30 (2009) .......................................... 26, 27 Pruitt v. Neal, 788 F.3d 248 (7th Cir. 2015) ................................ 24 Rompilla v. Beard, 545 U.S. 374 (2005) .............................................. 27 Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005) .......................................passim Sears v. Upton, 561 U.S. 945 (2010) .............................................. 26 Stankewitz v. Wong, 698 F.3d 1163 (9th Cir. 2012) .............................. 25 Stevens v. McBride, 489 F.3d 883 (7th Cir. 2007) ................................ 24 Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984) .......................................passim ix TABLE OF AUTHORITIES (continued) Page(s) Tanzi v. Sec’y, Fla. Dep’t of Corr., 772 F.3d 644 (11th Cir. 2014) .............................. 20 Teague v. Lane, 489 U.S. 288 (1989) .............................................. 30 Thompson v. Oklahoma, 487 U.S. 815 (1988) .............................................. 31 Trevino v. Davis, 861 F.3d 545 (5th Cir. 2017) ................................ 21 White v. Ryan, 895 F.3d 641 (9th Cir. 2018) ................................ 25 Wiggins v. Smith, 539 U.S. 510 (2003) .......................................passim Williams v. Stirling, 914 F.3d 302 (4th Cir. 2019) ................................ 28 Williams v. Taylor, 529 U.S. 362 (2000) .................................. 26, 27, 30 Wilson v. Sellers, 138 S. Ct. 1188 (2018) .......................................... 29 Wong v. Belmontes, 558 U.S. 15 (2009) ................................................ 21 FEDERAL STATUTES 28 U.S.C. 2254 ............................................................. 1 x TABLE OF AUTHORITIES (continued) Page(s) 28 U.S.C. 2254(d) ................................................. 29, 30 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 .............................................. 29 STATE STATUTES Tenn. Code § 39-13-204(f)(2) ..................................... 26 Tenn. Code § 39-13-204(g) ......................................... 13 Tenn. Code § 39-13-204(j)(7) ..................................... 13 Tenn. Code § 39-13-204(j)(9) ..................................... 13 CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS U.S. Const. amend. VIII .....................................passim U.S. Const. amend. XIV ............................. 1, 14, 30, 31 OTHER AUTHORITIES John H. Blume & Hannah Freedman et al., Death by Numbers: Why Evolving Standards Compel Extending Roper’s Categorical Ban Against Executing Juveniles From 18 to 21 (June 2, 2019) (forthcoming Texas Law Review), https://tinyurl.com/vo6y5hq .................. 33 B.J. Casey et al., The Adolescent Brain, 28 Dev. Rev. 62 (2008) .......................................... 32 xi TABLE OF AUTHORITIES (continued) Page(s) Alexandra O. Cohen et al., When Is an Adolescent
Recommended publications
  • IN the SUPREME COURT of TENNESSEE at NASHVILLE February 3, 2005 Session
    IN THE SUPREME COURT OF TENNESSEE AT NASHVILLE February 3, 2005 Session STATE OF TENNESSEE v. PAUL DENNIS REID, JR. Automatic Appeal from the Court of Criminal Appeals Circuit Court for Montgomery County No. 38887 John H. Gasaway, III, Judge No. M2001-02753-SC-DDT-DD - Filed May 24, 2005 The defendant, Paul Dennis Reid, Jr., was convicted of two counts of premeditated first degree murder, two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, and one count of especially aggravated robbery. In imposing a death sentence for each count of first degree murder, the jury found three aggravating circumstances, i.e., that the defendant was previously convicted of one or more felonies whose statutory elements involved the use of violence to the person, that the murders were especially heinous, atrocious or cruel in that they involved torture or serious physical abuse beyond that necessary to produce death, and that the murders were committed for the purpose of avoiding, interfering with, or preventing a lawful arrest or prosecution of the defendant or another, had been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-204(i)(2), (5), (6) (2003). In addition, the jury found that the evidence of aggravating circumstances outweighed evidence of mitigating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-204(c) (2003). The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the convictions and the death sentences. After the case was docketed in this Court, we entered an order identifying numerous issues for oral argument. We now hold as follows: 1)
    [Show full text]
  • AMR 51/003/2002 USA: €Arbitrary, Discriminatory, and Cruel: An
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Arbitrary, discriminatory, and cruel: an aide- mémoire to 25 years of judicial killing “For the rest of your life, you will have to move around in a world that wanted this death to happen. You will have to walk past people every day who were heartened by the killing of somebody in your family.” Mikal Gilmore, brother of Gary Gilmore1 A quarter of a century has passed since a Utah firing squad shot Gary Gilmore and opened the “modern” era of judicial killing in the United States of America. Since that day – 17 January 1977 – more than 750 men and women have been shot, gassed, electrocuted, hanged or poisoned to death in the execution chambers of 32 US states and of the federal government. More than 600 have been killed since 1990. Each has been the target of a ritualistic, politically expedient punishment which offers no constructive contribution to society’s efforts to combat violent crime. The US Supreme Court halted executions in 1972 because of the arbitrary way in which death sentences were being handed out. Justice Potter Stewart famously compared this arbitrariness to the freakishness of being struck by lightning. Four years later, the Court ruled that newly-enacted capital laws would cure the system of bias, and allowed executions to resume. Today, rarely a week goes by without at least one prisoner somewhere in the country being strapped down and killed by government executioners. In the past five years, an average of 78 people a year have met this fate. Perhaps Justice Stewart, if he were still alive, would note that this is similar to the number of people annually killed by lightning in the USA.2 So, is the system successfully selecting the “worst of the worst” crimes and offenders for the death penalty, as its proponents would claim, or has it once again become a lethal lottery? The evidence suggests that the latter is closer to the truth.
    [Show full text]
  • The Seduction of Innocence: the Attraction and Limitations of the Focus on Innocence in Capital Punishment Law and Advocacy
    Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume 95 Article 7 Issue 2 Winter Winter 2005 The educS tion of Innocence: The Attraction and Limitations of the Focus on Innocence in Capital Punishment Law and Advocacy Carol S. Steiker Jordan M. Steiker Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/jclc Part of the Criminal Law Commons, Criminology Commons, and the Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons Recommended Citation Carol S. Steiker, Jordan M. Steiker, The eS duction of Innocence: The ttrA action and Limitations of the Focus on Innocence in Capital Punishment Law and Advocacy, 95 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 587 (2004-2005) This Symposium is brought to you for free and open access by Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology by an authorized editor of Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. 0091-41 69/05/9502-0587 THE JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW & CRIMINOLOGY Vol. 95, No. 2 Copyright 0 2005 by Northwestern University, School of Law Printed in US.A. THE SEDUCTION OF INNOCENCE: THE ATTRACTION AND LIMITATIONS OF THE FOCUS ON INNOCENCE IN CAPITAL PUNISHMENT LAW AND ADVOCACY CAROL S. STEIKER"& JORDAN M. STEIKER** INTRODUCTION Over the past five years we have seen an unprecedented swell of debate at all levels of public life regarding the American death penalty. Much of the debate centers on the crisis of confidence engendered by the high-profile release of a significant number of wrongly convicted inmates from the nation's death rows. Advocates for reform or abolition of capital punishment have seized upon this issue to promote various public policy initiatives to address the crisis, including proposals for more complete DNA collection and testing, procedural reforms in capital cases, substantive limits on the use of capital punishment, suspension of executions, and outright abolition.
    [Show full text]
  • IN the COURT of CRIMINAL APPEALS of TENNESSEE at NASHVILLE October 14, 2003 Session
    IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE AT NASHVILLE October 14, 2003 Session STATE OF TENNESSEE v. PAUL DENNIS REID, JR. Direct Appeal from the Circuit Court for Montgomery County No. 38887 John H. Gasaway, III, Judge No. M2001-02753-CCA-R3-DD - Filed December 29, 2003 The appellant, Paul Dennis Reid, Jr., was found guilty by a jury of two counts of premeditated murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, and one count of especially aggravated robbery. The felony murder convictions were merged into the premeditated murder convictions. Thereafter, the jury sentenced the appellant to death based upon the existence of three aggravating circumstances: the appellant had previously been convicted of one or more felonies, other than the present charge, the statutory elements of which involve the use of violence to the person; the murders were committed for the purpose of avoiding, interfering with or preventing a lawful arrest or prosecution of defendant or another; and the murder was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel in that it involved torture or serious physical abuse beyond that necessary to produce death. The trial court sentenced the defendant as a violent offender to twenty-five years imprisonment for especially aggravated robbery and especially aggravated kidnapping, to run consecutively to his sentences for first degree murder and to a prior out-of-state sentence. On appeal, appellant presents forty-five issues. After an extensive review of the record and the applicable law, we find that none of these issues warrants a reversal of this case. Therefore, the judgments of the trial court are AFFIRMED.
    [Show full text]
  • Why Maryland's Capital Punishment Procedure Constitutes Cruel and Unusual Punishment Matthew E
    University of Baltimore Law Review Volume 37 Article 6 Issue 1 Fall 2007 2007 Comments: The rC ime, the Case, the Killer Cocktail: Why Maryland's Capital Punishment Procedure Constitutes Cruel and Unusual Punishment Matthew E. Feinberg University of Baltimore School of Law Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.law.ubalt.edu/ublr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Feinberg, Matthew E. (2007) "Comments: The rC ime, the Case, the Killer Cocktail: Why Maryland's Capital Punishment Procedure Constitutes Cruel and Unusual Punishment," University of Baltimore Law Review: Vol. 37: Iss. 1, Article 6. Available at: http://scholarworks.law.ubalt.edu/ublr/vol37/iss1/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Baltimore Law Review by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE CRIME, THE CASE, THE KILLER COCKTAIL: WHY MARYLAND'S CAPITAL PUNISHMENT PROCEDURE CONSTITUTES CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT I. INTRODUCTION "[D]eath is different ...." I It is this principle that establishes the death penalty as one of the most controversial topics in legal history, even when implemented only for the most heinous criminal acts. 2 In fact, "[n]o aspect of modern penal law is subjected to more efforts to influence public attitudes or to more intense litigation than the death penalty.,,3 Over its long history, capital punishment has changed in many ways as a result of this litigation and continues to spark controversy at the very mention of its existence.
    [Show full text]
  • The Culture of Capital Punishment in Japan David T
    MIGRATION,PALGRAVE ADVANCES IN CRIMINOLOGY DIASPORASAND CRIMINAL AND JUSTICE CITIZENSHIP IN ASIA The Culture of Capital Punishment in Japan David T. Johnson Palgrave Advances in Criminology and Criminal Justice in Asia Series Editors Bill Hebenton Criminology & Criminal Justice University of Manchester Manchester, UK Susyan Jou School of Criminology National Taipei University Taipei, Taiwan Lennon Y.C. Chang School of Social Sciences Monash University Melbourne, Australia This bold and innovative series provides a much needed intellectual space for global scholars to showcase criminological scholarship in and on Asia. Refecting upon the broad variety of methodological traditions in Asia, the series aims to create a greater multi-directional, cross-national under- standing between Eastern and Western scholars and enhance the feld of comparative criminology. The series welcomes contributions across all aspects of criminology and criminal justice as well as interdisciplinary studies in sociology, law, crime science and psychology, which cover the wider Asia region including China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Macao, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14719 David T. Johnson The Culture of Capital Punishment in Japan David T. Johnson University of Hawaii at Mānoa Honolulu, HI, USA Palgrave Advances in Criminology and Criminal Justice in Asia ISBN 978-3-030-32085-0 ISBN 978-3-030-32086-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32086-7 This title was frst published in Japanese by Iwanami Shinsho, 2019 as “アメリカ人のみた日本 の死刑”. [Amerikajin no Mita Nihon no Shikei] © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2020.
    [Show full text]
  • JPP 22-1 to Printers
    RESPONSE A Few Words on the Last Words of Condemned Prisoners Robert Johnson ast words are the existential centerpiece of executions. The prisoner, Lby his last words, gives meaning to the execution as the culmination of his life (see Johnson et al., 2013). His life has come to this place, the death house, a remarkable fact about which remarks are warranted. Whether eloquent or inarticulate, terse or rambling, the prisoner’s last words are the last word about his life. Even saying nothing is saying something in this context, communicating that the person at this fateful juncture of his life is rendered speechless by the enormity of the violence that awaits him, made mute by the unspeakable cruelty of the killing process. I do not use the words enormity and unspeakable here without cause. In the execution chamber, a healthy person, often young and fully under the control of the authorities, is put to death by an execution team that works from a rigid script, captive to rote, unfeeling procedure (see Johnson, 1998). The execution team performs in front of an audience of people – for the most part, offcial witnesses and correctional offcials –who look on and do nothing, say nothing. They watch the prisoner die, then fle out and go home, carrying the scent of the death house with them out into the free world. That scent, which my feld research on the execution process led me to describe in a poem as “a / devil’s brew of / mildew, fesh, and / fear”, has a way of lingering in the sense memories of those touched by executions (Johnson, 2010, p.
    [Show full text]
  • Why the Death Penalty Costs So Much
    Why The Death Penalty Costs So Much Uncheerful Giles huddled trivially. Unselfconscious Win entomologises no pomelos miswritten foolishly historiansafter Stanwood outraging reallocates too henceforth? efficaciously, quite unbidden. Jotham remains roundish: she twangles her Based on visiting days, costs the death penalty so why much as currently unavailable Robert L Spangenberg Elizabeth R Walsh Capital Punishment or Life. Federal death penalty prosecutions are large-scale cases that are costly to defend. Bush was completed in the cost of what we assume one should be petitioned for death the penalty costs so why much depends on the underlying message and. Capital Punishment or Life ImprisonmentSome Cost. The cost so much as much more expensive than the. Stay death penalty so much more likely as well as well as reimbursable expenses. States should see is the proper penalty when it AP News. Executed But Possibly Innocent death Penalty Information Center. We summarize what cost so much more penalty deters eighteen murders of prison population depletion means dying behind the. Not include many feature the prosecutorial costs an Oklahoma death penalty should cost. A less costly and lengthy appeals procedure capital punishment seems like for much. Executive order to death penalty so much the appeal of costs of life without. It is a lot of public defenders have moved us to the guilt? Capital punishment could be such thing recover the sun soon. It up an age old question has many of us have debated at mountain point in another. Awaiting execution Much always been arrogant about the morality of the death penalty have many.
    [Show full text]
  • Petitioner, V. Respondent. ___On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari To
    No. 15-____ IN THE ____________ LAMONDRE TUCKER, Petitioner, v. STATE OF LOUISIANA, Respondent. ____________ On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the Supreme Court of Louisiana ____________ PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI ____________ G. Ben Cohen* Cecelia T. Kappel The Promise of Justice The Capital Appeals Initiative Project 636 Baronne Street 636 Baronne Street New Orleans, La. 70113 New Orleans, La. 70113 504-529-5955 [email protected] *Counsel of Record i QUESTIONS PRESENTED Whether imposition of the death penalty upon a person convicted of murder constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments? Whether Louisiana’s failure to require the jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that death is the appropriate punishment violates the Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments? ii PARTIES TO THE PROCEEDINGS BELOW Petitioner, Lamondre Tucker, was the appellant below. Respondent is the State of Louisiana. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS QUESTIONS PRESENTED ........................................ i PARTIES TO THE PROCEEDINGS BELOW ........... ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................... iii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ....................................... vi PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI ............. 1 OPINION BELOW ...................................................... 1 JURISDICTIONAL STATEMENT ............................. 1 CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY PROVISIONS INVOLVED ......................................... 2 INTRODUCTION .......................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Stroock Amicus Brief
    No. 15-946 IN THE Supreme Court of the United States LAMONDRE TUCKER, Petitioner, v. STATE OF LOUISIANA, Respondent. ON PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT MOTION FOR LEAVE TO FILE AND BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE LAW AND POLITICAL SCIENCE SCHOLARS IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONER BRUCE H. SCHNEIDER Counsel of Record STEPHANIE A. WEATHERS-LOwiN STROOCK & STROOCK & LAVAN LLP 180 Maiden Lane New York, New York 10038 (212) 806-5400 [email protected] Counsel for Amici Curiae February 29, 2016 264204 A (800) 274-3321 • (800) 359-6859 i MOTION OF LAW AND POLITICAL SCIENCE SCHOLARS FOR LEAVE TO FILE BRIEF AS AMICI CURIAE IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONER Amici curiae are 20 scholars of law and political science (the “Scholars”). Among them are academics who have analyzed data indicating the frequency with which death sentences are rendered and carried out, and have written scholarly articles on capital punishment. The Scholars respectfully move for leave to file a brief asAmici curiae (“Amici”) in support of the Petitioner. Counsel of record for the parties received timely notice of Amici’s intent to file this brief as required by this Court’s Rule 37.2(a). Counsel for Petitioner consented in writing to the filing of this brief, and their written consent is submitted to the Clerk’s office herewith. However, counsel for Respondent, the State of Louisiana, declined to consent to the filing of this brief, necessitating the filing of this motion. This case presents an issue of national and constitutional importance: whether the imposition of the death penalty constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.
    [Show full text]
  • Capital Punishment - Wikipedia 17.08.17, 1130 Capital Punishment from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
    Capital punishment - Wikipedia 17.08.17, 1130 Capital punishment From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is a government sanctioned practice whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. The sentence that someone be punished in such a manner is referred to as a death sentence, whereas the act of carrying out the sentence is known as an execution. Crimes that are punishable by death are known as capital crimes or capital offences, and they commonly include offences such as murder, treason, espionage, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Etymologically, the term capital (lit. "of the head", derived via the Latin capitalis from caput, "head") in this context alluded to execution by beheading.[1] Fifty-six countries retain capital punishment, 103 countries have completely abolished it de jure for all crimes, six have abolished it for ordinary crimes (while maintaining it for special circumstances such as war crimes), and 30 are abolitionist in practice.[2] Capital punishment is a matter of active controversy in various countries and states, and positions can vary within a single political ideology or cultural region. In the European Union, Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits the use of capital punishment.[3] Also, the Council of Europe, which has 47 member states, prohibits the use of the death penalty by its members. The United Nations General Assembly has adopted, in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014,[4] non-binding
    [Show full text]
  • Spring 2008 Rick Halperin, President Friends-- I Would Like to Thank Everyone Who Helped Make Our Recent Annual Conference Held in Houston on January 26 a Big Success
    Seeking Justice IN TEXAS TEXASCOALITIONTOA BOLISHTHEDEATHPENALTY WORKINGTHROUGHEDUC ATIONANDACTION S P R I N G 2 0 0 8 2008 Off to a Great Start with More to Come! Inside This Issue: Music for Life in Beaumont, El Paso, and maybe Denton! From the Chair 2 The Sara Hickman concert series continues to roll through Texas cities with Mental Health Campaign 3 concerts in Corpus Christi, and Houston so far this year. Each concert has helped raise awareness of the death penalty, reached new audiences, and pro- Music for Life Tour 4 vided new contacts to help TCADP generate dialogue on the issue throughout the state. In March, Sara will be in Beaumont at Lamar University working with our Beaumont Chapter Updates 5, 6 chapter. El Paso Mayor John Cooke will sing and play guitar with Sara in El Paso at Club Member Spotlight 7 101. We want to be in Denton in May but are looking for a venue. (Let us know if you have a possible location.) Check page 4 for tour locations and dates. Spread the word Annual Award Winners 8 and come out for some great music with a message! TCADP Conference 9 At the Death House Door Panel Discussion and World Premier New Board Members 10 Don’t miss March 5 at the Texas Capitol, a panel discussion with clips from the movie. Ways You Can Help! 11 The panel discussion will include lots of great speakers. The film which features the Carlos Deluna case and the story of Rev. Carroll Mistaken Identity: Carlos Deluna Impending Executions Pickett will be debuting at the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) on Sunday, March 9 at 4:00pm at The Paramount Impending Executions Theatre in Austin, TX.
    [Show full text]