03/01/2014 21:44kruijs

In a 6-3 decision on November 20, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied a request from death row inmate Duane Buck for a new sentencing hearing, despite the fact that racially prejudicial statements had been made during his trial. While the jury was being asked to consider if Buck would be a future danger to society, a psychologist testified that African Americans commit a disproportionate number of criminal offenses. Buck's case was one of seven identified in 2000 by then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn in which testimony linking race to future dangerousness was impermissibly used. The other six defendants received new sentencing hearings, but Buck did not because his case was still in the early stages of appeal.

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/texas-court-criminal-appeals-denies-new-hearing-duane-buck

   08/05/2013 21:08kruijs

then-Attorney General John Cornyn became aware of the racial bias that had infected these cases, and he ordered a review of all of these cases that Dr. Quijano testified in. And each case, he gave an opinion that they need a resentencing hearing. And all of them received their hearing except for Mr. Buck. And it’s likely, or it seems probable, that that happened because AG Cornyn was at the end of his term. He went on to do other things. The next AG, Greg Abbott, did not grant the resentencing or recommend the resentencing hearing. It clearly looks that Mr. Buck’s case fell through the cracks, which is even more egregious when it’s a capital case. No case, no individual, no defendant should ever fall through the cracks of the criminal justice system, but when the ultimate punishment is on the line, it is morally reprehensible.

The case is now in front of the Court of Criminal Appeals in Texas. We have filed an appeal on Mr. Buck’s behalf. The Court of Criminal Appeals will—can either remand our case to the district court for a hearing and further review of the claims that we’ve raised, or it can reject or dismiss or deny our appeal and send us—send Mr. Buck’s case to the Supreme Court.

http://www.democracynow.org/seo/2013/4/1/prosecutor_seeks_stay_of_execution_for

   06/24/2013 23:00Kentoine Johnson

If he waiting on Rick Perry his family better get that plot ready