Juan Melendez Southeast Speaking Tour

Thanks to all who came out and supported the cause during Juan's speaking tour. It was a great success in terms of educating the public, getting our message out to the press, and increasing our membership. See the coverage in The Portales News-Tribune: "New Mexico spends at least $3 million annually to house death row inmates, according to Macrae. The money, she said, could be used for crime prevention and better law enforcement and to support families of victims."

Here's a link to a .pdf of the story that ran in the Roswell Daily Record featuring Juan and Kathleen.

Juan and Kathleen were also featured in the Hobbs News-Sun.

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The Exonerated
The New Mexico Coalition to Repeal the Death Penalty is collaborating with Monterey Media to offer the DVD version of the important film The Exonerated. When you purchase this DVD, fully half of the cost goes to the New Mexico Coalition. In addition, Monterey Media Inc. donates a portion of their own DVD sales directly to the exonerees whose true life stories the film is taken directly from. Click on the link to the right to learn more.

U.S. News
View the 2005 Death Penalty Information Report
2005 Year End Report as a PDF file.

Condemned Fla. Inmate Hopes for 2nd Stay

By RON WORD

The Associated Press
Monday, September 18, 2006; 10:02 PM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A condemned inmate asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to halt his execution, three months after the justices said he could lodge a civil rights challenge to the chemicals Florida uses in its lethal injection. Go to the Washington Post.

At high court, no rush to resolve conflicts over lethal injection
by Warren Richey | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
Tuesday, May 23, 2006

The US Supreme Court has declined an invitation to examine one of the hottest issues in litigation over capital punishment: the constitutionality of lethal injection as a means to carry out death sentences.

The court's refusal to weigh in now comes amid a growing number of death-row lawsuits challenging the method of execution. It also comes amid a growing
patchwork of conflicting rulings on various aspects of the lethal-injection process by state and federal judges. Go to C.S. Monitor

Retribution Without Cruelty: The Supreme Court Considers an Eighth Amendment Challenge to Lethal Injections
by Sherry F. Colb
Wednesday, May. 17, 2006

On April 26, the U.S. Supreme Court heard argument in Hill v. McDonough. The
case involves convicted murderer Clarence Edward Hill's challenge to the
constitutional validity of lethal injection ("LI"), the method of execution
by which he is condemned to die. Go to Find Law

For more info go to: Background, Issues, and Current Developments in the Debate over Lethal Injection.

Scalia Tells Congress to Stay Out of High Court Business
Friday, May 19, 2006 | Legal Times | Copyright 2006 ALM Properties, Inc.
by Tony Mauro

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Thursday repeated his strong opposition to invoking foreign law in Supreme Court constitutional decisions -- but he said Congress should not legislate against the practice.

"I don't think it's any of your business," Scalia said before a lunch meeting of the National Italian American Foundation that included many members of Congress of Italian descent. "I'll be darned if I think it's up to Congress to tell us how to rule." Go to Legal Times

Death penalty on ballot: Senate agrees to advisory referendum in November
by Stacy Forster
Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Madison - Voters in the November election will be asked whether
Wisconsin should reinstate the death penalty, after action Tuesday by
the state Senate. The Senate voted 18-15 to agree with changes made by the Assembly earlier this month and send the issue to voters on Nov. 7 rather than
the September primary as called for in an earlier version of the
measure. Go to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

WORLD

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Opposed to Death Penalty
Monday, March 27, 2006
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Mick Keelty says he's personally opposed to the death penalty, despite his agency's role in the Bali Nine drug case. The Age

BLOGS
There area large number of blogs focused on the death penalty. This list was provided by the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Blog List