Supreme Court rules for Black death row inmate from Mississippi over racial bias in makeup of jury
Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s three liberal justices joined with Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the 5-4 vote.
Death Penalty
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5 legal issues to watch in the 2026 Legislature
The Indiana General Assembly is preparing for an abbreviated legislative session, but lawmakers will still delve into legal issues dealing with immigration, capital punishment and the removal process for prosecutors and Marion Superior Court judges.
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More executions? Some doubts rise amid concerns about the high cost of lethal-injection drugs
State officials spent $1.175 million on lethal injection doses over the past year — $600,000 of which was spent on drugs that expired before use.
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Will there be more executions in Indiana in 2025?
Last month, Indiana ended its 15-year pause on the execution of inmates sentenced to death. However, legislation already has been filed in the Indiana General Assembly that would repeal the state’s death penalty.
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Web exclusive: SCOTUS decision ‘shuts door’ on ineffective counsel claims brought in federal court
In the winter of 2021, two death row prisoners raised claims in habeas corpus proceedings that their trial attorneys were constitutionally ineffective. But the nation’s highest court split in a decision last month ruling that they could not introduce evidence outside of the state court record due to restrictions imposed by a federal law.
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Articles
Supreme Court dismisses death penalty case on people with mental disabilities
The court chose not to weigh in on what standards states should use to assess whether a person who commits a crime must be spared the death penalty because of intellectual disabilities.
Court rules government cannot pursue death penalty in case of man accused of killing Terre Haute police officer
The government’s decision to pursue capital punishment came several months after President Donald Trump issued an executive order stating the government should pursue the death penalty in every federal case involving the murder of a law enforcement officer.
New records show additional Indiana dollars paid for last round of execution drugs
Documents released Monday to the Indiana Capital Chronicle include a previously undisclosed Department of Correction drug inventory log that tracks purchases, use and disposal of pentobarbital over the past two years.
Firing squad, gas execution methods move out of Indiana House committee
Firing squad and nitrogen hypoxia would be allowed alongside lethal injection to carry out Indiana’s death penalty under a bill that passed 8-5 out of the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee.
Indiana House committee passes capital case protections while Senate holds firing squad bill
The bill advanced Wednesday by the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee would tighten protections for defendants with intellectual disabilities in capital punishment cases.
Supreme Court will hear appeal of Black death row inmate over racial bias in Mississippi jury makeup
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear the appeal of a Black death row inmate from Mississippi whose case was handled by a prosecutor with a history of dismissing Black jurors for discriminatory reasons.
Indiana’s death row dwindles to five — and future executions remain uncertain
After three executions in less than a year — ending a nearly 15-year pause in Indiana’s use of capital punishment — it’s not clear when the state will carry out another.
Indiana executes Roy Lee Ward for 2001 murder of teenager Stacy Payne
Death row inmate Roy Lee Ward was executed by lethal injection early Friday morning at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.
Roy Ward drops final legal challenges, clearing way for Indiana’s second execution this year
Condemned man Roy Lee Ward has withdrawn the final two federal lawsuits that sought to delay his execution, effectively guaranteeing that his death sentence will be carried out before sunrise Friday at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.
Braun allows Oct. 10 execution of death row inmate to proceed
Unless a court intervenes, Roy Lee Ward will be the third person executed since Indiana resumed capital punishment in December 2024, after more than a decade-long pause.
Indiana Parole Board rejects death row inmate Roy Ward’s clemency bid ahead of Oct. 10 execution
The board’s decision is advisory. State law gives the governor sole authority to decide whether to accept the recommendation and commute Ward’s sentence, grant a reprieve or allow the execution to proceed.
Ward clemency hearing: Victim’s family asks for ‘no mercy,’ defense cites autism diagnosis, remorse
Just weeks before Roy Lee Ward’s scheduled execution, the Indiana Parole Board heard conflicting portrayals Monday of the man condemned for the 2001 rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacy Payne.
Clemency hearing shifts after Indiana death row inmate declines parole board interview
Death row inmate Roy Lee Ward declined to meet one-on-one with the Indiana Parole Board, saying he wanted to spare the family of his victim from traveling to the state prison in Michigan City for the interview.
Execution moves forward as questions linger around Indiana’s lethal injection drugs
Gov. Mike Braun called pentobarbital “a very difficult drug to get,” but said the state expects to have more by October’s scheduled execution.
Indiana Supreme Court finalizes Oct. 10 execution date for Roy Lee Ward
The court rejected arguments that the state’s lethal injection process poses a constitutional risk and said Ward had not met the legal burden to reopen his case.
Ward seeks execution pause over lethal injection concerns; AG argues date should stand
Attorneys for death row inmate Roy Lee Ward and the Indiana Attorney General’s Office are sparring before the state’s highest court over whether Ward’s tentative execution date should stand.
Indiana Supreme Court sets tentative execution date for death row inmate Roy Lee Ward
Questions remain about whether the state will have access to the execution drugs needed for an Oct. 10 execution date.
Indiana seeks execution date for death row inmate Roy Lee Ward
The Indiana Attorney General’s Office requested an execution date on Friday for death row inmate Roy Lee Ward, the Spencer County man convicted in 2007 for the rape and murder of 15‑year‑old Stacy Payne.
Braun clarifies Indiana acquisition of execution drugs; reveals more than $1M spent
Four doses of execution drugs were purchased — some which were used while others expired.