Countdown to Wrongful Conviction Day: Friday, October 2, 2105; 4 days. For information: http://www.aidwyc.org/wcd-2015/
"The
federal district court considered Davis' claims, and ultimately found
that Troy Davis could not prove a "truly persuasive determination of
actual innocence," despite the emergence of new evidence that created
significant doubts about his conviction. The Supreme Court did not
intervene again, and Georgia executed him on September 21, 2011. The
problem is that the Supreme Court has imposed too difficult a standard.
Even if Troy Davis did not show a persuasive case of actual innocence,
it undeniably represented a case of too much doubt. That should be
enough to stop an execution.........The
Supreme Court may have a chance to decide this important question very
soon. Oklahoma has set a September 30 execution date for Richard
Glossip. Like Troy Davis', Richard Glossip's is a case of too much
doubt. A jury convicted Glossip of orchestrating the killing of
Barry Van Treese, the owner of a motel where Glossip worked. The case
against him is thin. Justin Sneed, another motel employee, confessed to
the murder, and only implicated Glossip after the police pressured him
to do so. Police also promised to not pursue a death sentence against
Sneed if he testified against Glossip at trial. No physical evidence
connects Glossip to the crime. At least one new witness has come forward
to corroborate the allegation that Sneed acted alone. The federal
courts should take the death penalty off the table when there is
significant doubt about the integrity of a conviction. Allowing an
execution to proceed under these conditions is sure to result in the
death of some innocent defendants. This is a risk that must be avoided."
Erwin
Chemerinsky is the founding Dean and Distinguished Professor of Law,
and Raymond Pryke Professor of First Amendment Law, at the University of
California, Irvine School of Law, with a joint appointment in Political
Science.