As I was getting ready for work today I walked out of the bathroom to hear Paul House’s name on the Channel 4 News. I ran to the screen only to catch a segway into the next news brief. Shrugging it off, I figured it was a quick update to the June 1 retrial or another trial extension request, as it’s happened twice before. I figured I could check the story online when I made it into the office.

Much to my surprise, as I walked in the door of TCASK this morning, Joyce House was calling on our phone. “We have good news today,” she said. “Paul’s been exonterated! We talked for a moment of the relief and joy that the House family is feeling today after 23 years of frustration and fighting for Paul’s life.

After what has seemed like months or years of testing of the DNA evidence preserved from the 1985 rape and murder of Carolyn Muncey, District Attorney Paul Phillips finally requested for the murder charges held against Paul House to be dropped. Special Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood accepted such request and now, after 22 years on death row, Paul House is free.

Paul House joins the ranks of over 130 men who have been released from death row after evidence of their wrongful convictions have emerged (often DNA evidence). This long battle over the guilt or innocence of Paul is a perfect example of the millions of dollars that are fueled into our death penalty system, often with a final result being the reversal of sentencing and also the risk of condemning and killing an innocent man.

We rejoice with the House family as they feel some relief from this long struggle but also acknowledge and share our greivance with the Muncey family as their loved one’s case now has become unsolved.

Check out some of the news coverage on this story:
Tennessean Article: State drops charge against former Death Row inmate Paul House
Knox News Article: Prosecutor drops murder charges against ex-death-row inmate House

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Yesterday a Colorado bill that would have repealed the death penalty and dedicated the savings to solving cold cases failed by just one vote in the Senate. The Colorado House voted in favor of repeal by one vote last month. The bill would have redirected $1 million currently spent on the death penalty to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for investigating unsolved crimes known as cold cases of which Colorado has 1,400. Senator Morgan Carroll, a Democratic co-sponsor of the bill, believed passage of this legislation would have resulted in more cases solved and more killers held accountable. “Justice at least means: find the person who did it,” Ms. Carroll stated.

Though the bill did not pass, with a vote of 17-18 in favor of the legislation, yet another state demonstrates that public confidence and support of the death penalty is faltering. Citizens are becoming more educated about the failure of the death penalty as a public policy and lawmakers are listening. The death penalty is often hailed as serving victims and their families, but with precious resources spent on pursuing the death penalty, at least 1,400 victims of murder in Colorado have yet to have their cases solved. What about those victims and their families?

Kudos to all in Colorado whose organizing efforts catapulted that state’s movement towards abolition into the national spotlight and who are now poised for success in the next legislative session.

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual claim among men is the erectile disfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as core trouble. Albeit the erectile dysfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile disfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying health conditions that can be very dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile dysfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

Yesterday Paul House’s federal public defender, Stephen Kissinger, argued before a three judge panel of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati that the state of Tennessee has persisted in a pattern on delay in dealing with the Paul House case and should be barred from trying him again for the murder of Carolyn Muncey.

Kissinger informed the court that every additional piece of evidence tested for DNA in preparation for this new trial, at the taxpayer’s expense, has not matched House and only bolstered his claims of innocence.

Judge Gilbert Merritt pushed the state as to whether or not it would ensure that this trial happen in June and could not get a straight answer. The Judge went on to state that there appeared to be “pure stubbornness and vindictiveness on the part of the state” in its unrelenting pursuit of House given that the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in 2006 that if the new evidence had been presented at the time of his trial, no reasonable juror would have convicted him.

The panel has taken the case under consideration and did not indicate when it would rule.

The House case is one more example of the state’s inability to admit an error. Instead, untold resources are being wasted on this pursuit of House who already spent 22 years on Tennessee’s death row and who currently is confined to a wheelchair with aggressive multiple sclerosis.

Read more here.

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual claim among men is the erectile dysfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong heartiness problem such as soul trouble. Albeit the erectile dysfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile dysfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying soundness conditions that can be extremely dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile dysfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that Tennessee death row inmate Gary Cone deserves a new hearing to determine whether evidence withheld by the prosecution in Shelby County would have changed the jury’s mind about imposing the death sentence.

Cone, a Vietnam veteran, who suffered from combat stress, mental illness, and a drug addiction, claims that he was in an amphetamine psychosis when he killed elderly Memphis couple, Shipley and Cleopatra Todd, while hiding in their home after a robbery of a jewelry store in 1980.

At the time he was tried, prosecutors called his addiction “baloney” and told jurors that Cone was a drug dealer and cold-blooded killer and not an addict. However, the prosecutor withheld information that substantiated Cone’s claims, including police and FBI communications identifying Cone as a drug user and addict and witness statements describing his behavior as “weird” and “wild-eyed.”

Paul Bottei, Cone’s federal public defender, said that Cone first requested access to files from the district attorney’s office in Memphis in 1993. The Supreme Court has twice reinstated Cone’s death sentence on different appeals, but this current issue about his mental state is his strongest claim.

During arguments before the Supreme Court, the justices demonstrated outrage at Tennessee prosecutors for not turning over all the evidence to Cone’s defense attorneys.

“You’re saying that the lawyer, the trained lawyer for the government, who knew this information and knew the defense, just what? Just overlooked it by accident?” Justice Stephen Breyer demanded of Jennifer Smith, representing Tennessee.

Later, Justice David Souter addressed Smith saying, “I believe you have just made a statement to me that is utterly irrational.”

The justices sent the case back to U.S. District Court Judge Jon McCalla to determine whether or not there is a reasonable probability that the withheld evidence would have altered the penalty Cone received.

Read more.

After hearing such stories, I must ask the question, “What are the consequences for the prosecutor who withheld this valuable information which could potentially cost Gary Cone his life and has cost taxpayers untold dollars in pursuing appeals to get to the truth?” I thought a prosecutor’s first responsibility is to pursue the truth and to ensure that those who commit crime are held accountable for their crimes, not to get convictions and death sentences at any cost.

The murder of this elderly couple is tragic and reprehensible, and I am sure that there was immense pressure on the district attorneys’ office to pursue the death penalty for Cone. However, it is inexcusable that this prosecutor, an officer of the court, knowingly withheld this evidence from the defense at the trial. How is he/she being held accountable? If you or I lied to the court regardless of our reasons for lying, we could be charged with perjury. Until we start holding everyone involved to the same standards with real consequences, this system will remain as flawed and broken as ever.

Gary Cone’s conviction stands. He has been in prison for nearly 30 years. The question for the courts now is not Cone’s guilt but the tactics by which a sentence of death was secured when other options were available. Such actions are not only unfair to the defendant but to the jury who didn’t have all the facts needed to render their decision, to the court itself, and to all citizens who expect our court officers to follow the law.

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual appeal among men is the erectile dysfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as soul trouble. Albeit the erectile dysfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile malfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying heartiness conditions that can be highly dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile dysfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

“I’m just a bill.
Yes, I’m only a bill.
And I’m sitting here on Capitol Hill.”

Those are lyrics from the legendary Schoolhouse Rock video “I’m Just a Bill.” Click HERE to watch it. For TCASK’s 2009 Justice Day on the Hill, the bill was House Bill 1496, enacting a one year moratorium on Tennessee’s death penalty. While the Schoolhouse Rock video is educational, there is a lot more that goes into bill passage than a three minute video can depict. One of the most important factors in bill passage is citizen lobbying.

Justice Day brings concerned Tennesseans from across the state to meet with their legislators. A face to face meeting is the most effective way to advocate for the passage of a bill. The day began with a stark reminder of why we were there. In a press conference organized by TCASK, Michael McCormick and Joyce House both spoke. Michael was on Tennessee’s death row for 20 years before finally receiving an acquittal in a new trial. Joyce’s son, Paul House, was on Tennessee’s death row for 23 years before being released where he is now awaiting retrial. Tennessee’s death penalty is broken. Innocent people are caught up in the system. This is why Tennesseans came to Nashville to meet with their legislators.

Click HERE to see pictures from Justice Day on the Hill.

For some folks, this was their second, third, or even fourth Justice Day on the Hill. They strode into their legislator’s office with confidence. For others, this was their first time walking through the Tennessee statehouse. They were participating in the democratic process and initiating a relationship with their elected officials. For all, it was a reminder that while we have come a long way, we still have a long way to go. Legislators are turning to TCASK for thoughtful and objective education on the death penalty. They respect our mission and drive. However, there are still those who are clouded by misconception and myth. TCASK will continue to provide clarity to the brokenness of the death penalty system. And someday, as more legislators realize that supporting a broken system does not serve their constituents or the state of Tennessee, we will not by lobbying for a moratorium, but for repeal of Tennessee’s death penalty.

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual appeal among men is the erectile malfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile malfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as soul trouble. Albeit the erectile dysfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile disfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying heartiness conditions that can be very much dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile dysfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

On March 26th the New Hampshire House of Representatives became the first legislative body in the country to pass a crime victims equality act to prohibit discrimination against family members of murder victims who oppose the death penalty. HB 370, “An act relative to the treatment of victims of crime”, was passed by a 213-114 margin. This bill amends New Hampshire’s Crime Victims Bill of Rights by adding this new right to crime victims:

” The right to all federal and state constitutional rights guaranteed to all victims of crime on an equal basis, and notwithstanding the provisions of any laws on capital punishment, the right not to be discriminated against or have their rights as a victim denied, diminished, expanded, or enhanced on the basis of the victim’s support for, opposition to, or neutrality on the death penalty.”

Not all victims feel the same way about the death penalty. In fact, the sponsor of HB 370, Rep. Renny Cushing, is himself a murder victim’s family member whose father was murdered in 1988.

The Tennessee Committee to Study the Administration of the Death Penalty, which met from October 2007-February 2009, also discussed a process for ensuring that all victims’ families are treated the same by the system regardless of their position on the death penalty. Charles Strobel, whose mother was murdered and who represented Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights on the Tennessee Study Committee, suggested the creation of an independent office for the victim’s advocate. Currently, the victim’s advocate is located in the office of the district attorney, the same office which decides whether or not to seek the death penalty.

Congratulations to New Hampshire for this legislation.

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual appeal among men is the erectile dysfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as soul trouble. Albeit the erectile malfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile malfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying health conditions that can be very much dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile dysfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Tennessee inmate E.J. Harbison who had asked the court to allow his federal public defender to serve as his clemency counsel. Harbison, who is indigent, cannot afford to hire an attorney to represent him at clemency proceedings and requested that his federal public defender, who has worked on his case for years, continue to represent him.

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Harbison saying that the law, “does not authorize federal compensation for legal representation in state matters.” The high court disagreed.

Several Governors and former Governors, including Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, joined Harbison in arguing that inmates should be given the best possible legal representation during clemency proceedings.

Tennessee death row inmate, Steve Henley, also raised this issue with the courts, requesting that his federal public defender serve as his clemency counsel. Henley was not given a stay of execution in order for a clemency hearing to proceed. Instead, he was executed on February 4, 2009.

Read more here.

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual appeal among men is the erectile malfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as core trouble. Albeit the erectile malfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile dysfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying soundness conditions that can be highly dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile disfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.

In today’s Tennessee Voices section of the Tennessean, editorials concerning the recommendations of the Tennessee Committee to Study the Administration of the Death Penalty are featured. I have an opinion piece included, as does Verna Wyatt, Director of You Have the Power, a victims’ advocacy group in Tennessee.

Verna charges that the Committee was biased from its inception. She quotes a TCASK newsletter from 2007 celebrating that TCASK, along with our legislative partners, successfully advocated for the passage of the study legislation and implies that our work to ensure a study means that the Committee was biased. Is it any real surprise that TCASK would advocate for a study committee on the death penalty given how broken it is?

As far as the make-up of the Committee, Wyatt does not mention that at least three of the four legislators who served on the Committee are on the record as pro-death penalty. Nevermind that Charles Strobel’s own mother was murdered here in Nashville and that he served on the committee as a representative of Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights, a victims advocacy organization. Furthermore, legislation that Wyatt herself proposed concerning realistic time limits on post-conviction appeals was recommended by the Committee. Does she feel that legislation is also biased?

I find it unfortunate that Wyatt references no research or testimony that the Committee heard over the 14 months it met. Instead, she tries to undermine the Committee’s work by questioning the motives of the people involved. But, not surprisingly, such an approach is often taken by those who have no substantive evidence to support their position which, in this case, is the fairness and accuracy of Tennessee’s death penalty. All that remains is accusation.

Read more below:

Wyatt’s op ed

Rector’s op ed

Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual appeal among men is the erectile dysfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as soul trouble. Albeit the erectile malfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile malfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying heartiness conditions that can be highly dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile dysfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.