Here are the PowerPoint files I have received to date from students/presenters.  Thanks again to Caitlin Chamberlin for the suggestion to share. False Confessions: Download false_confessions_powerpoint2.ppt Actual Innocence: Download actual_innocence.ppt McClesky: Download mccleskey_presentation_314.ppt UPDATE:  Here are some more of the powerpoints: Capital Child Rape: Download child_rape_death_penalty_presentation.ppt Victim Considerations: Download victim_presentation.ppt MORE:  And here is a…

Andrea Esselstein, Stephanie Fortener and Janean Weber have created a terrific little "reading packet" for their coverage of the topic of women and the death penalty. This packet can be downloaded here: Download selected_readings_for_women_and_the_death_penalty.doc Enjoy and feel free to start the conversation with comments to this post (especially if you are worrying at all about…

Jordan and Brett are in command this week, addressing the very interesting and very timely topic of whether child rape can and should be a capital offense.  Here is their reading list (with links I found): Coker v Georgia, 433 U.S. 584 (1977) (available here) State v Wilson, 685 So. 2d 1063 (La. 1996) (exceprts…

Here is the note from Kurt Copper from his team explaining their reading choices and plans: I have attached two files which are edited copies of Herrera v. Collins, 506 U.S. 390 (1993), and House v. Bell, 126 S.Ct. 2064(2006). I tried to do textbook style edits on the cases so people would be more…

Alexander Smith has sent along this note along with the readings that are available for downloading below: Because there are two groups going in the same week, I have limited readings to two journal articles that give a solid overview of the complex procedures relating to Federal habeas review. My presentation will attempt to navigate…

Though I doubt we will get to these materials before Spring Break, I wanted to post now the materials and ideas that Caitlin, Mags and Kelly have for us to explore after we examine race and the death penalty (which should be prompting more blog buzz here). ——— False and Coerced Confessions and the Death…

Here are the materials and ideas that Caitlin and Kacey have sent my way to facilitate our examination of the federal death penalty: ——— Here is a chart comparing the federal death penalty statute to the Ohio death penalty statute: Download comparison_of_jurisdictions.doc We plan on focusing on two main aspects of the federal death penalty,…

Jeff Mead and Larysa Simms are taking over Wednesday’s class to discuss "The Role of Physicians." Here is the text and readings they sent for everyone’s pre-class consideration: —— Before you enrolled in this death penalty class, your mind likely jumped to a single inference when you heard mention of an interface between the legal…

As promised, here are follow-up (optional) readings to foster our continued discussion of execution methods: This past summer I wrote an article about litgation over lethal injection’s constitutionality entitled, Finding Bickel Gold in a Hill of Beans, which appeared in the 2005-2006 CATO SUPREME COURT REVIEW (Cato Institute 2006).  Here is how the abstract begins:…

BUMP & UPDATE:  Please consider starting our discussion of these readings (which will kick into gear Wednesday 2/21) with some comments here. —- Shoshana and Kate have provided two law review articles for posting/review in preparation for our class session on Wednesday Feb. 14 21: Roberta M. Harding, The Gallows to the Gurney: Analyzing the…

BUMP & UPDATE:  Please complete this questionnaire to aid our class session for 2/21. Nichelle Pate, who is also involved in next week’s class on execution methods (readings here), has prepared a simple survey of questions for the class to answer before class (available below).  Nichelle requests that everyone "answer the questions and put the…