Capital Punishment
Estrada v. The State of Texas
Jurors in Estrada's 2007 sentencing trial were incorrectly told by a State's prison expert that if Estrada were given a sentence of life without parole instead of the death penalty, he could be eligible for a classification level that would allow him to leave the prison grounds after 10 years of imprisonment. Two juror notes strongly suggested that the expert's false testimony led to their decision to sentence Estrada to death. Prosecutors' use of false and misleading evidence is a leading cause of wrongful death sentences in Texas and nationwide.
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58 Capital Punishment Cases
U.S. Supreme Court
Sep 2010
Capital Punishment
+2 Issues
Cullen v. Pinholster
Whether the federal courts properly granted habeas corpus relief to the death row inmate in this case after concluding that the state courts had unreasonably rejected his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Sep 2010
Capital Punishment
+2 Issues
Cullen v. Pinholster
Whether the federal courts properly granted habeas corpus relief to the death row inmate in this case after concluding that the state courts had unreasonably rejected his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel.
U.S. Supreme Court
Aug 2010
Capital Punishment
+2 Issues
Connick v. Thompson
Whether someone who spent 14 years on death row before his murder conviction was overturned because the prosecution withheld exculpatory evidence can recover damages from the prosecutor's office on a theory that it failed to train its staff regarding their constitutional obligations.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Aug 2010
Capital Punishment
+2 Issues
Connick v. Thompson
Whether someone who spent 14 years on death row before his murder conviction was overturned because the prosecution withheld exculpatory evidence can recover damages from the prosecutor's office on a theory that it failed to train its staff regarding their constitutional obligations.
U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2010
Capital Punishment
Smart Justice
Holland v. Florida
Whether, and under what circumstances, the one-year statute of limitations for filing a federal habeas corpus petition is subject to equitable tolling.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Jun 2010
Capital Punishment
Smart Justice
Holland v. Florida
Whether, and under what circumstances, the one-year statute of limitations for filing a federal habeas corpus petition is subject to equitable tolling.
May 2010
Capital Punishment
Smart Justice
Luong v. State of Alabama
In a victory in one of the most high-profile cases in Alabama history, a unanimous Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the conviction and death sentence and ordered a new trial for ACLU client Lam Luong, who was convicted of five counts of capital murder.
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May 2010
Capital Punishment
Smart Justice
Luong v. State of Alabama
In a victory in one of the most high-profile cases in Alabama history, a unanimous Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the conviction and death sentence and ordered a new trial for ACLU client Lam Luong, who was convicted of five counts of capital murder.