Carter adds name to call for Davis clemency

Emergency stays of execution have been filed on behalf of death row inmate Troy Anthony Davis. And, another name has been added to the list of those calling for a review of the case. The nation’s highest court is scheduled to consider a request to halt Davis’ execution at their first conference on Sept. 29. A similar request for stay has been filed with Georgia’s top court. Davis is scheduled to die by lethal injection this coming Tuesday for the 1989 shooting death of an off-duty Savannah police officer. The state of Georgia had petitioned both courts not to consider the case. The case has attracted international attention. Earlier today former President Jimmy Carter issued a statement urging the Georgia and Pardons and parole board to reverse its decision to deny clemency to Davis. Carter says the case shows deep flaws in the application of the death penalty in this country. Davis’s lawyers have tried to spare his life by arguing Davis needs a new trial because 7 of the 9 witnesses in the original trial have since recanted their testimony.

Capital punishment appeals denied

The US Supreme Court has turned down an appeal today from two Georgia inmates who face capital punishment.

The court blocked the executions of Samuel Crowe and Joseph Williams last fall while it considered a challenge to Kentucky's lethal injection procedures.

Critics of lethal injection procedures have said that if the first drug is administered incorrectly or in an insufficient dosage, the inmate could suffer excruciating pain from the other two drugs.

But because the second drug is a paralytic, he would be unable to express his discomfort.

Former state Senator has appeal request denied

The appeal of former Georgia Senator Charles Walker has been rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court did not comment on its decision.

Walker is serving a ten-year prison sentence for his conviction on tax evasion, mail fraud, and conspiracy charges. The Augusta Democrat and former Senate majority leader was convicted in 2005 on 127 counts.

Walker's lawyers had argued that the federal grand jury was unfairly stacked against him, the sentence was too long, and key prosecution evidence was not presented.