2019
Domineque Ray Is Set to Be Executed Thursday. Did He Ever Really Have a Chance at Being Spared?, ProPublica, Feb. 4, 2019
In 2002, the American Bar Association’s Death Penalty Representation Project referred the case of Domineque Ray to attorney Peter, who has continued to advocate for Ray throughout his capital proceedings.
Additional Press about Domineque Ray:
2018
Legislature’s Judiciary Committee hears need for defense attorney standards in death penalty cases, Lincoln Journal Star, Sep. 7, 2018
Project Director Emily Olson-Gault addresses the importance of adopting the American Bar Association standards for defense attorneys in death penalty cases, noting that the guidelines represent a baseline for what is necessary to ensure fairness and accuracy in capital cases.
ABA groups launch clemency information clearinghouse for death penalty cases, ABA Journal, June 2018
2017
Updates from the Military Commissions, 11/13: Finally, a Cross-Examination!, Lawfare Blog, Nov. 28, 2017
Additional press about USS Cole bombing testimony:
USS Cole’s deck was scene of ‘chaos, panic’ after al-Qaida’s bombing, Miami Herald (Carol Rosenberg), Nov. 8, 2017 [via Internet Archive]
- Part of award winning series "Death-Penalty Defense Drama at Guantanamo War Court," recipient of the 2018 ABA Silver Gavel Award for Newspaper Reporting
'Show me the proof…before you can get the proof': Ayestas offers the Court the chance to fix a paradoxical and unfair standard in death penalty cases, American Constitution Society (ACSblog), Oct. 27, 2017
Additional press about Ayestas v. Davis:
2016
Mississippi Attorney General James Hood defends discredited forensic experts, harasses defense attorneys instead, Washington Post, Aug. 25, 2016
In an affidavit Project Director Emily Olson-Gault voiced the ABA’s concerns about Mississippi Attorney General’s use of Rule 22 of Mississippi’s Rules of Appellate Procedure, noting that Hood’s interpretation of this rule could harm indigent capital defendants in Mississippi.
Have Mercy: New Opportunities for Commutations in Death Penalty Cases, Human Rights Magazine - ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice, Vol. 42, Iss. 2 (pdf)
2014
ABA Groups Lend Expertise for Federal Judiciary and Death Penalty Issues, Pass It On - ABA Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division, Winter 2014 Vol. 23, No. 2 (pdf)
2013
ABA Death Penalty Representation Project honored for its fight for justice for death row prisoners, ABA News, Oct. 9, 2013
The Project was honored in Philadelphia at the Witness to Innocence 10th Anniversary Celebration for its work to “enact meaningful changes in our criminal justice system.”
2012
Attorneys for the Damned: ABA Project Marks 25 Years of Providing Counsel to Death Row Inmates, ABA Journal, Jul. 1, 2012
After Joe Lee Guy was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in Texas in 1993, attorneys from Minneapolis-based Dorsey & Whitney took up his case on appeal. They had a hard time believing some of what they found—or didn’t find—in the files from his trial.
Additional press about the Project's 25th Anniversary:
2011
A Dose of Optimism, Harvard Law Bulletin, July 1, 2011
Attorney Kenneth Frazier discusses the exoneration of his client, James Cochran, who spent 21 years on death row. Frazier began representing Cochran after Esther Lardent, head of the ABA Death Penalty Representation Project, sought his assistance on the case.
Volunteer on Capital Cases: Join the ABA Death Penalty Representation Project, The Young Lawyer (pdf), Feb. 2011
There are 3,300 people on death row in the United States, and 99.5 percent of them are indigent. For too many, without the generosity of pro bono attorneys, they will face death alone.
2010
The High Price of Life, The American Lawyer (pdf), Jul. 1, 2010
In Search of Volunteer Lawyers for Death Row Inmates, The BLT: The Blog of the LegalTimes, Mar. 9, 2010
Robin Maher, director of the American Bar Association Death Penalty Representation Project, discusses the difficulty she has faced in finding pro bono representation for prisoners on death row.
2009
Saving Clients from the Death Penalty, Vault Blog, March 10, 2009
Hays & Handler litigation partner, John Howley, discusses the important role the ABA Death Penalty Representation Project has played in death penalty case referrals. Howley’s firm has represented several clients referred to by the Death Penalty Representation Project, including Calvin Swann in his final clemency hearing.
2004
Luring Pro Bono Lawyers For Death Row's Forgotten, The Washington Post, Nov. 30, 2004
Project Director Robin Maher talks about the uphill battle in convincing law firms to take on capital appeals at no cost.
Death-Defying Acts: Many firms cite their capital case pro bono work. These good deeds save lives but can’t redeem an intrinsically flawed system, The American Lawyer, Jan. 12, 2004
Project Director Robin Maher addresses how large firms play an increasingly important role in capital cases as states cut resources. While capital case pro bono work has resulted in the sentences of some defendants being overturned or reduced, the system remains plagued with injustices including ineffective assistance, inadequate resources, and racial bias.
2003
Civil firms can offer life to inmates on death row, The Houston Chronicle, Sep. 2, 2003
Offensive defenses -- Death-penalty defendants deserve strong counsel, Philadelphia Inquirer, editorial, Feb. 24, 2003