“Sampson’s death sentence is upheld; Appeals court takes rare step to seal ruling”: The Boston Globe today contains an article that begins, “A federal appeals court has upheld the death sentence of Gary Lee Sampson, an Abington man who confessed to killing three New England men during a weeklong murder rampage in July 2001. In an unusual step, the three-judge panel, which rendered its opinion on Monday, sealed the judgment for seven days to give prosecutors and defense lawyers the opportunity to redact any language both sides agree should be kept confidential.”
“Judge in $65 Million Suit Might Keep Seat on Bench”: Metro columnist Marc Fisher has this essay today in The Washington Post.
“A Good Fight: The District should ask the Supreme Court to save its gun law.” This editorial appears today in The Washington Post.
“Giuliani, Mr. 9/11, Agonizes Over Abortion”: Bloomberg News columnist Margaret Carlson has this essay online today.
“Crist to restart death penalty; The state’s prison system changes clear the way for lethal injections”: The St. Petersburg Times contains this article today.
Today’s edition of The Tallahassee Democrat contains articles headlined “Crist ready for executions to resume” and “Official: Trained teams to perform lethal injection.”
The Miami Herald reports that “Florida ready to resume executions.”
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that “State sticks with execution procedures; New training helps process, official insists.”
The Palm Beach Post reports that “Changes to execution protocol won’t include different drugs.”
And Reuters reports that “Florida keeps drug cocktail for executions.”
Meanwhile, in New Jersey, The Newark Star-Ledger reports today that “Senators weigh bill to outlaw execution; Case could be affected by Va. Tech, Fort Dix.”
“Prominent city attorney, negotiator Alan Davis dies”: This article appears today in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Parents and District Settle Dispute on Teacher’s Religious Remarks”: The New York Times today contains an article that begins, “The Kearny Board of Education in New Jersey and the parents of Matthew LaClair, a 17-year-old junior at Kearny High School, settled their dispute on Tuesday night about a teacher who proselytized in class.”
“Gonzales Is Said to Seem Confident He Will Stay”: This article appears today in The New York Times, along with an article headlined “Missouri Prosecutor Says He Was Pushed to Resign.” The newspaper also contains an editorial entitled “U.S. Attorneys, Reloaded.”
The Washington Post today contains a front page article headlined “Number of Fired Prosecutors Grows; Dismissals Began Earlier Than Justice Dept. Has Said.”
The Los Angeles Times reports that “Gonzales likely to face new questions on firings; Lawmakers are expected to press him for details about the replacement of two other attorneys from key election states.”
The Chicago Tribune reports that “Justice probe has a new target; Official has shaped response to uproar.”
Bloomberg News reports that “Gonzales Is a Survivor as Bush Seeks to Minimize Political Risk.”
And The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contains an editorial entitled “Trust but verify: We believe Steven Biskupic’s motives in prosecuting a state employee were aboveboard; But the Justice Department still should surrender pertinent documents.”
“Death Penalty Is Barrier to Bench for Mauskopf”: Today in The New York Sun, Joseph Goldstein has an article that begins, “The frequency with which the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn seeks the death penalty is emerging as an obstacle to her confirmation to the federal bench.”
“An ‘Independent Attorney General’? In the Wake of the Controversy over U.S. Attorney Firings, the Next President Will Need to Set Guidelines for White House/Justice Department Interactions.” Edward Lazarus has this essay online today at FindLaw.
