The United States Supreme Court issued an extraordinary win today on a Batson claim in Foster v. Chatman, No. 14-8349. Congratulations to our colleagues at the Southern Center for Human Rights for their hard work and perseverance! The case arises out of Rome, Georgia where a very sympathetic victim was murdered and sexually assaulted. Foster was… Read More →
News
Attorney General Wilson Appeals Bennett Case Despite Undisputed Racial Bias
If nothing changes, nothing changes – and apparently A.G. Wilson is happy for racism & bigotry to remain the status quo in the courts of South Carolina. Wilson has appealed the U.S. District Court decision reached in March by Judge Richard Gergel finding that Mr. Bennett’s due process rights were violated by (1) the seating… Read More →
Relief Granted for Death Row Inmate
Today, United States District Court Judge Richard Gergel vacated the death sentence of Justice 360 client Johnny Bennett. The judge found Bennett’s due process rights were violated because (1) the solicitor improperly injected race into the sentencing phase of the trial (by referring to Bennett, an African American, as “King Kong” and making other racially charged… Read More →
Update on Senate Bill 553
We are pleased to announce that S. 553 was polled out of committee on 3/3/16 with a Minority Report attached; meaning that for this year, the Lethal Injection Secrecy bill will progress no further in the South Carolina Senate. Thank you to all advocates who contributed to continued transparency and accountability at the Department of… Read More →
A Call to Action
Call or email Committee Members today to voice your opposition to Senate Bill 553. S. 553 will undermine public trust and confidence by making execution information a Government secret. Exercise of Government Power Must be Transparent S. 553 would make the entire process of obtaining lethal injection drugs a state secret, even the amount of money the Department… Read More →
A Jury of Your Peers? Not Always in South Carolina
In November of 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments in Foster v. Chatman, a Georgia death penalty case where prosecutors struck all four African Americans from the jury pool. As a result, Timothy Tyrone Foster, an African American man accused of killing a white woman, was tried, convicted, and sentenced to… Read More →