Thursday, August 16, 2007

 

Alberto Gonzales Making Headlines Again


In Tuesday's edition of the LA Times, reporter Richard Schmitt reveals that the Justice Department is putting the final touches on regulations to significantly shorten the time death row inmates have to appeal their convictions. The new regulations implement a provision within the reauthorized Patriot Act which gives the Attorney General the power to decide if states are providing adequate counsel to defendants in death penalty cases, authority previously held by federal judges.

Not only would this move usurp the power of the federal courts and significantly increase the caseloads of the courts, but it would also, and more frighteningly, put more wrongfully convicted people in danger of execution. In fact, if such regulations were already in place, new evidence in the Paul House case would never have been heard by federal courts, and he would likely have already been executed.

Furthermore, this move would give Alberto Gonzales, a man with an abysmal record on the death penalty, more power to hasten executions. Perhaps the Attorney General should first see to all the problems within his own Justice Department before he attempts to do the work of federal judges.
posted by Stacy Permalink  
Comments :
I believe, Stacy, that an Act of Congress gave Alberto Gonzales this power.
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : Thursday, August 16, 2007 6:35:00 PM
 
Anonymous, you are right about Congress; and sadly, it highlights their lack of political and moral courage on this issue as well as perhaps their lack of attention to the fine print in the Patriot Act.
# posted by Blogger Stacy : Friday, August 17, 2007 11:18:00 AM
 
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=a230ra6lSjqY&refer=europe

I guess this is your sense of more enlightened justice.
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : Friday, August 17, 2007 11:43:00 AM
 
It's interesting that with two killers scheduled for execution your web site is all about self promotion and not about stopping these killers from facing justice. Maybe your organization should be named MeMeMe.org.
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : Sunday, August 19, 2007 8:38:00 AM
 
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