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Supreme Court Justice [Stevens] Slams Death Penalty
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| Parent(s) |
Candidate
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| Contributor | J.R. |
| Last Edited | J.R. Aug 07, 2005 12:51am |
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| Category | News |
| Media | TV News - FOX News |
| News Date | Sunday, August 7, 2005 06:50:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | CHICAGO — Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens issued an unusually stinging criticism of capital punishment Saturday evening, telling lawyers that he was disturbed by "serious flaws."
He said Supreme Court cases have revealed that "a significant number of defendants in capital cases have not been provided with fully competent legal representation at trial."
In addition, Stevens said he had reviewed records that showed "special risks of unfairness" in capital punishment.
Juries might not be balanced because people who have qualms about capital punishment can be excluded by prosecutors, he said. And he questioned whether potential jurors are distracted by extensive questions about their views on the death penalty.
In addition, Stevens said a statement from a victim's family "serves no purpose other than to encourage jurors to decide in favor of death rather than life on the basis of their emotions rather than their reason." |
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