Oct 24th, 2008 · Three staff members of a Chesapeake environmental group were surprised to learn they were spied on by Maryland State Police and named as suspected terrorists on a state list. The state police has acknowledged it spied on anti-death penalty and anti-war activists.
Oct 7th, 2008 · This week, the U.S. Supreme Court acted on two high-profile death row cases. For analysis, Farai Chideya discusses the Constitution and the death penalty with Carl Tobias, professor of law at the University of Richmond.
Sep 19th, 2008 · It may be possible to predict people's political beliefs based on how strongly a person responds to alarming images and sounds, says a new study. People who had stronger reactions tended to favor things like military spending and the death penalty. But not everyone's onboard.
Jul 23rd, 2008 · Maurice Possley, one of the Chicago Tribune reporters whose work led to Illinois' death penalty moratorium, is resigning. He says the paper is dismantling itself in ways that hurt its ability to do good, meaningful journalism.
Jun 28th, 2008 · This week the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to impose the death penalty for the rape of a child. Richard Dieter, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, talks about the state of capital punishment in America's courts and about changing public attitudes.
Jun 26th, 2008 · In a week of contentious rulings, today the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 32-year-old gun ban in the District of Columbia. Yesterday, the high court decided against the death penalty for child rapists. D.C. Councilwoman and law professor Mary Cheh, and Supreme Court appellate attorney Jonathan Franklin, discuss legal and emotional implications of this week's rulings.
Jun 25th, 2008 · The Supreme Court has outlawed executions of people convicted of raping a child. The court was considering a Louisiana law that allowed for such executions. The ruling said the law violates the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Jun 25th, 2008 · In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court banned the death penalty for people convicted of raping a child. The justices emphasized that the death penalty is only appropriate in cases where the crime results in death.