Monday, October 03, 2005

The first Monday in October

The first Monday in October is an exciting time for Supreme Court watchers. It's when the court finally returns from its summer recess and hears its first arguments of the new term.

Unfortunately for those of us in the abolitionist movement, the first Monday in October means something altogether chilling. For this is the day that the court releases its lengthy list of cert denials from cases that built up over the summer.

Today the cert list was 84 pages long -- hundreds, if not thousands, of denials, for only a very small percentage of cases are accepted by the court for review.

Today's list included denials of cert for 37 people on death row. Not all of these people have exhausted their appeals. But a number of them have and we will soon see at least a small flurry of execution dates set, pushing upward the number of executions that will take place in November and December.

That's one certainty that comes from the first Monday in October.

2 comments:

MrAdVenture said...

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I write THE VIEW FROM OUTSIDE a loyal supportor of the NCADP
http://aconspeaksout.blogspot.com/

the tennessee dude said...

hmmmmmmmmm...sobering...

it's a good reason for abolition organizations to develop programs that develop skillsets for family members of death row inmates to advocate for themselves in the political arena...

it's a bummer for activists and organizers to read then numbers you posted - imagine (or try) what it must feel like when one of those numbers is your son ... brother ... niece ...

legislators need to hear from the "other set of victims" and we can create opportunities that makes this possible...