Troy Davis: The Saga Continues
Last week, I wrote about the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to deny the appeal of Troy Anthony Davis, a Georgia death row inmate. Death penalty abolition advocates, yours truly included, were left with little hope that Mr. Davis's life would be spared when an October 27th execution date was set. But in a shocking and exciting turn of events, I am thrilled to tell you now that Troy Anthony Davis will NOT be executed on Monday--"The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 25-day stay of execution."
The court determined that after a "thorough review of the record...Davis has met the burden for a stay of execution." This comes after Davis's appeal to the court of appeals earlier this week "for permission to pursue another round of appeals in federal court on claims he is actually innocent," permission which is required under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.
Although "the stay of execution is conditional" upon Davis providing proof that he will "meet the 'stringent requirements' to pursue another round of appeals," advocates for Mr. Davis are hopeful and relieved. Attorney Jason Ewart noted that this decision "is the first step toward a court hearing to consider the new evidence" of Mr. Davis's innocence which they have tried to get a court to hear for over a decade.
The outpouring of support for Mr. Davis has been remarkable. A petition with 140,000 signatories was delivered to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles; another letter to the Board was signed by such notables as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Susan Sarandon, John Grisham, and Representative John Lewis (D-GA); one letter to Governor Perdue contained the signatures of an interfaith group of over 100 Georgia clergy, another was signed by over 350 clergy worldwide, including Reform rabbis from Georgia and elsewhere.
Just when I start to lose hope in our judicial system, a case like this comes along and reminds me that all is not lost and that this is a cause truly worth fighting for.
Although "the stay of execution is conditional" upon Davis providing proof that he will "meet the 'stringent requirements' to pursue another round of appeals," advocates for Mr. Davis are hopeful and relieved. Attorney Jason Ewart noted that this decision "is the first step toward a court hearing to consider the new evidence" of Mr. Davis's innocence which they have tried to get a court to hear for over a decade.
The outpouring of support for Mr. Davis has been remarkable. A petition with 140,000 signatories was delivered to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles; another letter to the Board was signed by such notables as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Susan Sarandon, John Grisham, and Representative John Lewis (D-GA); one letter to Governor Perdue contained the signatures of an interfaith group of over 100 Georgia clergy, another was signed by over 350 clergy worldwide, including Reform rabbis from Georgia and elsewhere.
Just when I start to lose hope in our judicial system, a case like this comes along and reminds me that all is not lost and that this is a cause truly worth fighting for.