Nation Jun 12 Lawyers for man accused of killing Charlie Kirk try to block prosecutors from seeking death penalty By Hannah Schoenbaum, Matthew Brown, Associated Press
Nation Jun 12 Supreme Court nixes Alabama request for nitrogen execution, which lower court ruled unconstitutional An Alabama man facing the death penalty by nitrogen gas was spared Thursday as the U.S. Supreme Court refused to set aside a lower-court ruling that found the method is unconstitutionally cruel, issuing a brief order that came well after… By Kim Chandler, Associated Press
Nation Jun 10 Feds won't seek death penalty in plea deal with man accused of killing Minnesota lawmaker U.S. prosecutors said Wednesday they will not seek the death penalty as part of a plea agreement with the man charged in the political assassinations of the top Democrat in the Minnesota House along with her husband, as well as the attempted… By Gene Johnson, Associated Press
Nation Jun 10 What to know about execution methods in the U.S. after judge blocks Alabama from using nitrogen gas Alabama's plans to execute a death row inmate using nitrogen gas appeared to be thwarted Tuesday by a federal judge permanently blocking the state from using that method, declaring it violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. By Rebecca Boone, Associated Press
Politics May 28 Supreme Court rules for Black death row prisoner from Mississippi over racial bias in makeup of jury By a 5-4 vote, the justices sided with Terry Pitchford, who was sentenced to death for his role in the killing of a grocery store owner. By Mark Sherman, Associated Press
May 21 Supreme Court dismisses Alabama's bid to execute inmate with borderline intellectual disability By Mark Sherman, Associated Press The court's action leaves in place lower court rulings in favor of Joseph Clifton Smith, 55, who has been on death row roughly half his life after his conviction for beating a man to death in 1997. Continue reading
May 14 Oklahoma judge allows former death row prisoner to be released on bond while awaiting retrial By Jim Vertuno, Associated Press The decision clears the way for Richard Glossip, 63, to leave a lockup for the first time since his arrest nearly 30 years ago over a 1997 killing that put him on the brink of execution three separate times. The… Continue reading
Apr 21 Man convicted of setting neighbor on fire during 1990 burglary is executed in Florida By David Fischer, Associated Press Florida's fifth execution of 2026 followed a record 19 executions in the state last year. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Continue reading
Mar 30 Israel's parliament approves death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis By Julia Frankel, Associated Press The bill’s passage marked a major victory for Israel’s far-right, which has pushed hard for the measure. Continue reading
Mar 23 Supreme Court rejects appeal from Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed over DNA testing By Mark Sherman, Associated Press Reed was sentenced to death for the 1996 killing of 19-year-old Stacey Stites. Prosecutors have refused to allow for DNA testing of the webbed belt that was used to strangle Stites as she made her way to work at a… Continue reading