Monday, October 3, 2011

On the agenda for the US Supreme Court

The Supreme Court convened today:
Among the cases involving criminal defendants is one from an inmate awaiting execution in Alabama who missed a deadline to appeal his death sentence because the big-firm lawyers in New York who had been handling his case for free moved on to new jobs, and letters from the court clerk sat in the firm's mailroom before being returned to sender. 
The case of Cory Maples, convicted 15 years ago in the shooting deaths of two men, presents the question: "How much poor representation can one criminal defendant receive" before it violates the Constitution? said University of Maryland law professor Sherrilyn Ifill. 


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/10/03/supreme-court-to-tackle-hot-button-disputes-as-new-term-begins/?test=latestnews#ixzz1ZjbCzkPB
If you want to read more about the Maples screw-up, go to Simple Justice blog article Sullivan & Cromwell Gets a Seat At The Execution.  The comments are as interesting as the article -- and on both sides of the issue.


No comments: