death row

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks during a roundtable discussion with President Donald Trump and law enforcement officials, Monday, June 8, 2020, at the White House in Washington.

Florida Attorney General urges use of 'Marsy's Law' in death cases

Jim Saunders/News Service of Florida

Nearly five years after voters passed a constitutional amendment about victims’ rights, Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office urged the Florida Supreme Court to use the measure to make it harder for death row inmates to get stays of execution.

This undated photo provided by the Florida Department of Corrections shows Louis Bernard Gaskin. Gaskin, convicted of a 1989 double slaying in Florida for which he was dubbed the “ninja killer,” is set for execution in April 2023 under a death warrant signed Monday, March 13, 2023, by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Law & Justice

Louis Gaskin is executed for 1989 murders

Jim Saunders

Louis Gaskin became the 101st person executed in Florida since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. He had been sentenced to death for the murder of a north Florida couple in 1989.

Inmates condemned to die are spending more time on death row than years before. In this handout photo provided by California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, San Quentin's lethal injection facility is shown.

U.S. inmates condemned to die are spending more time on death row

Jaclyn Diaz

Research shows the average time between sentencing and execution has increased by two-thirds in the past 20 years.

Shanaye Poole (left) next to her father, Toforest Johnson, during a family visit to see him in prison in the early 2000s.

New Eyes On Alabama Death Row Case After Integrity Review Raises Questions

Debbie Elliott

Former prosecutors and judges say Toforest Johnson's murder conviction was based on shaky evidence. The case is getting a new look as district attorneys review the integrity of past prosecutions.

"[President-elect Joe Biden] says he opposes the death penalty, so we want him to use his clemency power and end this cruelty once and for all," said Rep.-elect Cori Bush, a Missouri Democrat.

'End This Cruelty': Progressives Call On Biden To Work To Stop Executions

Juana Summers

As the Trump administration accelerates the pace of federal executions in its final days, some Democrats are feeling more urgency to push the president-elect to act upon taking office.

The Justice Department plans to execute five people in the coming weeks. The planned executions pose a challenge to Attorney General Bill Barr's adherence to Catholic teachings, which oppose the death penalty.

Federal Executions Pit The Trump Administration Against The Catholic Church

Tom Gjelten

Opposition to the death penalty is "a teaching that deserves our respect," says Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley. "I don't think it can be simply disregarded."

This undated photo from the Alabama Department of Corrections shows Nathaniel Woods. Woods was executed late Thursday in Alabama.

Alabama Executes Man Convicted As Accomplice In Slaying Of Police Officers

Scott Neuman

The case of Nathaniel Woods garnered national attention, including from Martin Luther King III — the son of the late civil rights leader — who was among those who fought to block the execution.

Unanimous Jury Not Required For Death Penalty, Says Florida Supreme Court In Reversal

Jim Saunders - News Service of Florida

The Florida Supreme Court said Thursday that unanimous jury recommendations are not necessary before death sentences can be imposed, as justices backed…

Supreme Court Justices Reject 10 More Death Penalty Appeals

The Florida Supreme Court on Friday turned down appeals by 10 longtime Death Row inmates, as it continued rejecting batches of similar cases.The court has…

A Death Row Inmate's Final Hours

Death Row inmate Michael Lambrix was set to become the second person in the state of Florida to be executed this year, as of Thursday evening. The state…

While Florida Prepares To Execute One Inmate, 150 Others Seek To Overturn Death Sentence

While the state of Florida is set to execute the first person in more than a year and a half, 150 other Death Row inmates await new sentences.The death…

Florida Set To Have First Execution In 20 Months

The state of Florida is poised to execute the first person in more than a year and a half this Thursday, August 24. Mark Asay was convicted in 1988 of…