Saturday, February 15, 2003

A Reply to AG Ashcroft's Push for the Death Penalty . . . I Wish I Could Have Said It So Well  A New York Times Reader tersely but cogently replies:  "To the Editor:  Re "Ashcroft's Death Penalty Edict Could Backfire in New York, Lawyers Say" (news article, Feb. 9): Another way to apply the death penalty equally would be to abolish it." JOHN CHATTERTON, New York, Feb. 10, 2003 -- Death Penalty Colloquy. Death Penalty Colloquy To the Editor:. [New York Times: Opinion] 5:10:30 PM    comment [] Lousiana Supreme Court Reigns in Foreign Lawyer Rules . . . Takes Aim at Death Penalty Defense Community? Raising the Bar [Law.com]  This Article discusses a recent change in the Louisiana (my home state) Supreme Court' s Bar Admissions rules for non-resident alien lawyers.  As a Louisiana Bar member, I am concerned by the arguments that this change is aimed at keeping out foreign national attorneys who come here to do public interest work, i.e., death penalty defense.  Whatever one's political stripe, particularly where the death penalty is concerned, I would hope we could all agree that, at a minimum, those on death row shound not be put to death without having an attorney fully and competently represent them.  It appears that some of the elected Justices of the Louisiana Supreme Court may not agree or perhaps they are simply unaware of the significant contributions being made to this goal by the likes of New Orleans attorney Clive Stafford-Smith and many other dedicated foreign lawyers (but this seems unlikely!?). 10:00:00 AM    comment []

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