Alabama AG Seeks Rulings on Stuck Death Penalty Cases

0:00On March 12, here's the latest out of Birmingham. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has asked the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to force federal district courts to rule on four long-stuck death penalty cases. These involve inmates convicted of murders in Alabama from 1990 to 2004 and their federal habeas petitions have dragged on. Four years without decisions. The cases are all in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. One dates back to a 1990 killing in Talladega County, another to a 1998 double murder in Colbert County, a 2000, one triple homicide in Jackson County, and a 2004 shooting of three Birmingham police officers. Marshall says the state finished trials and appeals long ago, but federal reviews are holding everything up. Under the rules, executions can't happen until these habeas petitions give result, and some have been fully briefed for over a decade. This push highlights a bigger issue of delays in the federal system slowing down justice. The state argues it's ready to proceed once courts act.

1:02Now, the 11th Circuit will decide whether to order those rulings. If granted, it could speed up the cases and let Alabama move forward on these convictions. This DNN story is thanks to our sponsor details in the description. It is a pillow that plays your podcasts and music without earbuds, built for listening and bed, S-O-L-I-SOLYPILLOW.com.