Oct 05 Supreme Court considers racial discrimination in death penalty case By Laura Santhanam In 1997, Duane Edward Buck was sentenced to die after he was convicted of killing two people and wounding a third in Houston, Texas. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today to decide whether Buck received a fair trial. Continue reading
Oct 03 Watch 4:22 News Wrap: Winds top 140 mph as Hurricane Matthew bears down By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Monday, Hurricane Matthew, one of the strongest Atlantic storms in recent years, is battering Jamaica and Haiti. Also, U.S. relations with Russia hit a new low when Washington called off talks with Moscow on the Syrian… Continue watching
Jun 06 Justices to review claims from Texas death row inmates By Mark Sherman, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will hear appeals from two African-American death-row inmates in Texas, including one who argued his sentence was based on his race. Continue reading
May 13 Watch 3:54 News Wrap: Pfizer halts sale of drugs used in lethal injection executions By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Friday, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer -- the last remaining federally approved supplier of lethal injection drugs -- announced it will no longer allow its products to be used for executions. Also, Russian President Vladimir Putin stepped up… Continue watching
Apr 06 Executions spiked in 2015, highest level in 25 years, Amnesty International report finds By Dominique Bonessi A new report by Amnesty International reveals that there were at least 1,634 executions worldwide last year, the most since 1989. Continue reading
Mar 03 Watch 5:14 News Wrap: Big tech supports Apple's defiance of court order By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Thursday, a dozen major tech companies, including Facebook, Google and Microsoft, filed briefs supporting Apple’s refusal to unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone despite federal court order. Also, Florida lawmakers approved a bill that could reinstate… Continue watching
Jan 12 Florida death penalty system is unconstitutional, Supreme Court rules By Sam Hananel, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Florida's unique system for sentencing people to death is unconstitutional because it gives too much power to judges — and not enough to juries — to decide capital sentences. Continue reading
Dec 01 Supreme Court's new lineup rich in high-profile cases By Mark Sherman, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court's lineup of new cases is fit for an election year. Affirmative action, abortion and another look at the Obama health care law all are before the court, and they could well be joined by immigration,… Continue reading
Jun 29 Watch 6:40 Supreme Court ends term with rulings on EPA, voter redistricting and lethal injection By PBS News Hour The Supreme Court ended a dramatic session with high-profile rulings on three issues: how the EPA regulates air pollution, how to map voting lines and the death penalty by lethal injection. Judy Woodruff learns more from Marcia Coyle of The… Continue watching
Jun 29 Justices uphold use of drug implicated in botched executions By Mark Sherman, Associated Press WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the use of a controversial drug that has been implicated in several botched executions. Two of the justices said for first time that death penalty itself probably is unconstitutional. Continue reading