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In Shinn v. Ramirez and Jones, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that two Arizona death row inmates could not introduce new evidence in federal habeas court of ineffective counsel at the state trial, leading to the men’s 6th Amendment rights being compromised. The ruling is a reversal of the Supreme Court’s 2012 ruling, Martinez v. Ryan.
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In Andrus v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Andrus’ petition for certiorari, declining to intervene in his death sentence and effectively overturning their own earlier ruling in June 2020 that Texas could not execute Andrus due to his ineffective defense counsel.
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Despite multiple stays of execution, Lisa Montgomery was put to death in January of 2021 for the murder of a Missouri woman. It was the first execution of a female inmate by the federal government in more than 60 years.
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St. Louis County Judge Daniel Pelikan rejected the jury’s recommendation of death and sentenced Marvin Rice to life in prison. It was the first time in nine years that a jury had recommended the death penalty, but the judge intervened, noting the mitigating factors involved in the case.
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Carman Deck was put to death in May of 2022 for the murders of a couple during a home robbery in 1996. His case had been overturned three times previously. Neither the U.S. Supreme Court nor Governor Mike Parsons would halt the execution.
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Ernest Lee Johnson was put to death in October of 2021 despite calls for clemency from Pope Francis, Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, Rep. Cory Bush, and other supporters. They argued that his execution would be unconstitutional due to his intellectual disabilities. Pope Francis also appealed to Governor Parsons based on “the simple fact of Mr. Johnson’s humanity and the sacredness of all human life.”