Death Penalty

Landmark Supreme Court decision overturning a death row conviction

1. Andrus v. Texas

2. Jurisdiction: Texas, United States (June 15, 2020)
3. Victims<![CDATA[无]]>Defendants<![CDATA[Terence Tramaine Andrus]]>Plaintiffs<![CDATA[无]]>Investigators<![CDATA[无]]>Prosecutors<![CDATA[无]]>Defense Attorneys<![CDATA[James Crowley]]><![CDATA[Gretchen Sween]]>Plaintiff Attorneys<![CDATA[无]]>Judges<![CDATA[Samuel Alito]]><![CDATA[Clarence Thomas]]><![CDATA[Neil Gorsuch]]><![CDATA[Sonia Sotomayor]]>Institutions<![CDATA[Supreme Court of the United States]]><![CDATA[Texas Court of Criminal Appeals]]>
4. Case Tags: Death Penalty;Ineffective Assistance of Counsel;Mitigating Evidence;Texas Criminal Appeals

1. Sexton v. Beaudreaux

2. Jurisdiction: United States (June 28, 2018)
3. VictimsTodd ZaneDefendantsRobert BeaudreauxPlaintiffsMichael SextonJudgesPer CuriamInstitutionsUnited States Supreme CourtUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitCalifornia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
4. Case Tags: Habeas Corpus;Death Penalty;Ineffective Assistance of Counsel;AEDPA Deference

1. Moore v. Texas

2. Jurisdiction: United States (March 28, 2017)
3. VictimsJames McCarbleDefendantsBobby James MoorePlaintiffsBobby James MoorePlaintiff AttorneysClifford M. SloanJudgesRuth Bader GinsburgInstitutionsTexas Court of Criminal AppealsSupreme Court of the United States
4. Case Tags: Death Penalty;Intellectual Disability;Eighth Amendment;Atkins v. Virginia

1. Karnataka Gulbarga Rape and Murder Case

2. Jurisdiction: India (2025)
3. Original Case: 卡纳塔克古尔伯加强奸杀人案
4. InstitutionsGulbarga PoliceKarnataka High CourtFast Track Court, Kalaburagi
5. Case Tags: Rape;Murder;Death Penalty;Fast-track Trial

1. Shinn v. Kayer

2. Jurisdiction: United States (Arizona) (December 14, 2020)
3. Victims<![CDATA[Delbert Haas]]>Defendants<![CDATA[George Russell Kayer]]>Plaintiffs<![CDATA[David Shinn]]>Investigators<![CDATA[无]]>Prosecutors<![CDATA[无]]>Defense Attorneys<![CDATA[无]]>Plaintiff Attorneys<![CDATA[无]]>Judges<![CDATA[William T. Kiger]]><![CDATA[John Roberts]]><![CDATA[Stephen Breyer]]><![CDATA[Clarence Thomas]]><![CDATA[Samuel Alito]]><![CDATA[Sonia Sotomayor]]><![CDATA[Elena Kagan]]><![CDATA[Neil Gorsuch]]><![CDATA[Brett Kavanaugh]]><![CDATA[Amy Coney Barrett]]>Institutions<![CDATA[Arizona Department of Corrections]]><![CDATA[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]]><![CDATA[Supreme Court of the United States]]><![CDATA[Arizona Supreme Court]]><![CDATA[Arizona Superior Court]]>
4. Case Tags: Death Penalty;Habeas Corpus;AEDPA;Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

1. Bucklew v. Precythe

2. Jurisdiction: United States (April 1, 2019)
3. VictimsMichael SandersDefendantsRussell BucklewProsecutorsD. John SauerDefense AttorneysRobert N. HochmanJudgesNeil GorsuchInstitutionsSupreme Court of the United StatesMissouri Department of Corrections
4. Case Tags: Death Penalty;Eighth Amendment;Lethal Injection;Method of Execution

1. Dunn v. Reeves

2. Jurisdiction: United States (July 2, 2021)
3. Victims<![CDATA[Willie Johnson]]>Defendants<![CDATA[Matthew Reeves]]>Plaintiffs<![CDATA[Jefferson Dunn]]>Investigators<![CDATA[None]]>Prosecutors<![CDATA[None]]>Defense Attorneys<![CDATA[None]]>Plaintiff Attorneys<![CDATA[None]]>Judges<![CDATA[None]]>Institutions<![CDATA[Supreme Court of the United States]]><![CDATA[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit]]><![CDATA[Alabama Department of Corrections]]>
4. Case Tags: Death Penalty;Habeas Corpus;Intellectual Disability;AEDPA Deference

1. Cruz v. Arizona

2. Jurisdiction: United States (Arizona) (February 22, 2023 (U.S. Supreme Court decision))
3. Victims<![CDATA[Patrick Hardesty]]>Defendants<![CDATA[John Montenegro Cruz]]>Plaintiffs<![CDATA[State of Arizona]]>Investigators<![CDATA[无]]>Prosecutors<![CDATA[无]]>Defense Attorneys<![CDATA[无]]>Plaintiff Attorneys<![CDATA[无]]>Judges<![CDATA[Sonia Sotomayor]]>Institutions<![CDATA[United States Supreme Court]]><![CDATA[Arizona Supreme Court]]><![CDATA[Pima County Superior Court]]>
4. Case Tags: Death Penalty;Simmons v. South Carolina;Procedural Default;Jury Instructions

1. Reed v. Goertz

2. Jurisdiction: United States (April 19, 2023)
3. Victims<![CDATA[Stacey Stites]]>Defendants<![CDATA[Bryan Goertz]]>Plaintiffs<![CDATA[Rodney Reed]]>Investigators<![CDATA[无]]>Prosecutors<![CDATA[无]]>Defense Attorneys<![CDATA[无]]>Plaintiff Attorneys<![CDATA[无]]>Judges<![CDATA[Elena Kagan]]>Institutions<![CDATA[U.S. Supreme Court]]><![CDATA[Texas Court of Criminal Appeals]]><![CDATA[Bastrop County District Attorney's Office]]>
4. Case Tags: Death Penalty;DNA Evidence;Statute of Limitations;Civil Rights Litigation

1. Flowers v. Mississippi

2. Jurisdiction: United States (June 21, 2019)
3. VictimsBertha TardyRobert GoldenCarmen RigbyDerrick StewartDefendantsCurtis Giovanni FlowersPlaintiffsState of MississippiProsecutorsDoug EvansDefense AttorneysSheri Lynn JohnsonJudgesBrett M. KavanaughInstitutionsSupreme Court of the United StatesMississippi Supreme Court
4. Case Tags: Batson Challenge;Jury Selection Bias;Death Penalty;Fourteenth Amendment

1. Thornell v. Jones

2. Jurisdiction: United States (May 30, 2024)
3. Victims<![CDATA[Robert Weaver]]><![CDATA[Tisha Weaver]]><![CDATA[Katherine Gumina]]>Defendants<![CDATA[Danny Lee Jones]]>Plaintiffs<![CDATA[State of Arizona]]>Investigators<![CDATA[无]]>Prosecutors<![CDATA[无]]>Defense Attorneys<![CDATA[无]]>Plaintiff Attorneys<![CDATA[无]]>Judges<![CDATA[Samuel A. Alito Jr.]]><![CDATA[Sonia Sotomayor]]>Institutions<![CDATA[U.S. Supreme Court]]><![CDATA[Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry]]><![CDATA[U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]]>
4. Case Tags: Death Penalty;Ineffective Assistance of Counsel;Strickland v. Washington;Habeas Corpus

1. United States v. Tsarnaev

2. Jurisdiction: United States (March 4, 2022)
3. VictimsKrystle CampbellLingzi LuMartin RichardSean CollierDefendantsDzhokhar TsarnaevProsecutorsEric J. FeiginDefense AttorneysGinger D. AndersJudgesClarence ThomasJohn G. Roberts, Jr.InstitutionsSupreme Court of the United StatesUnited States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
4. Case Tags: Death Penalty;Terrorism;Boston Marathon Bombing;Supreme Court Decision

1. Villarreal v. Texas

2. Jurisdiction: United States (February 25, 2026)
3. Defendants<![CDATA[Villarreal]]>Plaintiffs<![CDATA[State of Texas]]>Institutions<![CDATA[Supreme Court of the United States]]><![CDATA[Texas Court of Criminal Appeals]]>
4. Case Tags: Death Penalty;DNA Testing;Due Process;Post-Conviction Relief

1. Ramirez v. Collier

2. Jurisdiction: United States (2022-03-24)
3. VictimsPablo CastroDefendantsJohn Henry RamirezBryan CollierPlaintiffsJohn Henry RamirezDefense AttorneysJudd E. Stone IIPlaintiff AttorneysSeth P. WaxmanJudgesJohn G. Roberts, Jr.InstitutionsSupreme Court of the United StatesTexas Department of Criminal Justice
4. Case Tags: Death Penalty;RLUIPA;Supreme Court;Execution Protocol

1. Hamm v. Smith

2. Jurisdiction: United States (November 4, 2024)
3. Victims<![CDATA[无]]>Defendants<![CDATA[John Q. Hamm]]>Plaintiffs<![CDATA[Joseph Clifton Smith]]>Investigators<![CDATA[无]]>Prosecutors<![CDATA[无]]>Defense Attorneys<![CDATA[无]]>Plaintiff Attorneys<![CDATA[无]]>Judges<![CDATA[无]]>Institutions<![CDATA[Supreme Court of the United States]]><![CDATA[Alabama Department of Corrections]]>
4. Case Tags: Death Penalty;Intellectual Disability;Eighth Amendment;Habeas Corpus

1. Gutierrez v. Saenz

2. Jurisdiction: United States (June 26, 2025)
3. Victims<![CDATA[Escolastica Harrison]]>Defendants<![CDATA[Saenz]]>Plaintiffs<![CDATA[Ruben Gutierrez]]>Investigators<![CDATA[None]]>Prosecutors<![CDATA[None]]>Defense Attorneys<![CDATA[None]]>Plaintiff Attorneys<![CDATA[None]]>Judges<![CDATA[United States Supreme Court Justices]]>Institutions<![CDATA[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]><![CDATA[United States Supreme Court]]>
4. Case Tags: Death Penalty;Religious Freedom;Prisoners' Rights;Eighth Amendment

1. Shoop v. Twyford

2. Jurisdiction: United States (June 21, 2022)
3. VictimsRichard HaymanDefendantsRaymond TwyfordPlaintiffsTim ShoopJudgesJohn RobertsInstitutionsSupreme Court of the United States
4. Case Tags: Habeas Corpus;Death Penalty;All Writs Act;AEDPA

1. Nance v. Ward

2. Jurisdiction: United States (June 23, 2022)
3. Original Case: Nance v. Ward, 597 U.S. ___ (2022)
4. VictimsGabor BaloghDefendantsTimothy C. WardPlaintiffsMichael NanceJudgesElena KaganAmy Coney BarrettInstitutionsSupreme Court of the United StatesGeorgia Department of CorrectionsUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
5. Case Tags: Death Penalty;Section 1983;Habeas Corpus;AEDPA

1. McKinney v. Arizona

2. Jurisdiction: United States (February 25, 2020)
3. Original Case: McKinney v. Arizona, 589 U.S. ___ (2020)
4. VictimsChristine M. MertensJames E. MertensDefendantsJames Erin McKinneyProsecutorsOramel H. SkinnerDefense AttorneysNeal KatyalJudgesBrett KavanaughInstitutionsU.S. Supreme CourtArizona Supreme CourtUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitArizona Attorney General's Office
5. Case Tags: Death Penalty;AEDPA Deference;Mitigating Evidence;Federal Habeas Corpus

1. Kolkata Intern Doctor Rape and Murder Case

2. Jurisdiction: India (2025-08-09)
3. Original Case: 加尔各答实习医生奸杀案
4. VictimsMoumita DebnathDefendantsSanjay RoyInvestigatorsCentral Bureau of InvestigationInstitutionsRG Kar Medical College and HospitalKolkata PoliceCentral Bureau of Investigation
5. Case Tags: Sexual Violence;Workplace Safety;Death Penalty;Judicial Reform