Texas lawyers call for e-filed execution appeals

[douglas9]

AUSTIN — A petition signed by 309 Texas lawyers — including two former state Supreme Court justices — was filed Wednesday asking the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to accept electronic filings to avoid a repeat of the controversial events leading to the execution of Michael Richard.

Richard was executed Sept. 25 after Presiding Judge Sharon Keller told the court clerk's office to close promptly at 5 p.m., cutting off Richard's appeals for a stay of execution.

The U.S. Supreme Court earlier in the day had agreed to consider whether the chemicals used in lethal injection constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

If Richard's stay request had made it through legal channels, his execution likely would have been halted until the case was decided. Another Texas inmate had his execution stayed by the Supreme Court on the same grounds as Richard was requesting.


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5243399.html

[canetoad]

1. For fucks sake

arguing over the relative cruelty of one method of execution over another is where you are at.

Bolstered by so called progressives who bleat,'I'm anti death penalty, but......'.

As a country, are you for or against putting humans to judicial death? Get that sorted, the rest will fall into place.