Troy Davis and the Meaning of ‘Actual Innocence’

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Aug 19, 2009 Remarkably, the Supreme Court has never ruled on whether it is unconstitutional to execute an innocent person. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Top Court Orders New Hearing for Troy Davis

Staff / Truthdig Aug 18, 2009 Death row inmate Troy Davis might get a chance to clear his name in the 1989 murder of a Savannah, Ga., police officer, now that the Supreme Court has ordered a federal judge to grant him a new hearing. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

China Pledges Fewer Executions

Staff / Truthdig Jul 29, 2009 China, which carries out more executions than any country -- Iran comes in a semi-close second -- is pledging to reduce the number of people killed by the state. While far from abolishing the death penalty, the government is narrowing the definition of execution-worthy crime. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

15 or Not, Alleged Pirate Will Be Tried as Adult

Staff / Truthdig Apr 22, 2009 Whether or not Abduwali Abukhadir Muse is 15, as his father claims, he will be tried in New York as an adult for his alleged role in holding an American ship captain as a hostage. Muse's mother, on the other side of the world, has asked President Obama for mercy, or to at least let her be with her son. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Death Penalty Keeps U.S. in Bad Company

Staff / Truthdig Mar 24, 2009 Here's a list of countries where you don't want to find yourself when it comes to human rights: Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, Iraq, Pakistan and the good ol' US of A Those six states execute more of their citizens than any others, according to Amnesty International's latest tally The U is the fourth-worst offender. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Ugly America

Mike Farrell / Truthdig Oct 29, 2008 “You really do hate America!” This was the parting shot from a man I had just debated on a television show shortly before the invasion of Iraq. Because he’s a notorious right-wing blowhard, I laughed it off as the raving of a crackpot in extremis. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Troy Davis and the Supreme Decision

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Sep 25, 2008 Troy Anthony Davis was scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday. Two hours before the state of Georgia was to execute him, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay until Monday. It had earlier agreed to hear Davis' case on Sept. 29, but Georgia set his execution date six days before the hearing. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Bush Approves Execution of Military Convict

Staff / Truthdig Jul 29, 2008 President Bush signed off Monday on the execution of Army Pvt. Ronald Gray, who has been on the U.S. military's death row since 1988 for rape and murder convictions. Gray's legal team is expected to appeal, and no date is set for his execution. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

An Unlikely Pair Fight the Death Penalty

BLANK Jul 26, 2008 A now-retired California judge who sentenced nine men to death, Donald A. McCartin, and actor-activist Mike Farrell make "an unlikely pair," as they put it in this co-authored article. McCartin was once known as "the hanging judge of Orange County," while Farrell has long opposed the death penalty, but today they see eye to eye. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

World Court Fights U.S. Executions

Staff / Truthdig Jul 16, 2008 The International Court of Justice on Friday requested the US not execute five death-row inmates in a decision that will put both the U's controversial capital punishment policy and its historic rejection of international legal bodies in the global spotlight. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘9/11 Mastermind’ Mohammed Says He Wants Death Penalty

Staff / Truthdig Jun 5, 2008 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees appeared in court at the U.S. naval base's Camp Justice for an arraignment that effectively sets the legal wheels in motion for the war crimes trials of Mohammed and his alleged 9/11 co-conspirators. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Former Illinois Governor Is Denied Appeal, Stays in Prison

Staff / Truthdig May 28, 2008 The fraud and racketeering case against former Illinois Gov. George Ryan has come to an end after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final request to appeal his 2006 conviction. With no other move to make, Ryan, who has been incarcerated since late 2007, will likely seek a commutation of his six-year sentence from President Bush. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )