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Jurisprudence Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

1998

Law and Society

Mitigating circumstances

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Jurisprudence

Feminism And Defending Men On Death Row Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Phyllis L. Crocker Jan 1998

Feminism And Defending Men On Death Row Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Phyllis L. Crocker

St. Mary's Law Journal

In this Essay I explore the relationship between being a feminist and representing men on death row. It is appropriate to engage in this inquiry in considering how the law has developed in the twenty-five years since Furman v. Georgia. During that time both Furman and the advent of feminist legal theory have required a restructuring in the way we think about two fundamental legal questions: for death penalty jurisprudence, how and why we sentence individuals to death; and for feminist jurisprudence, how the law views crimes of violence against women. The relationship between these two developments becomes apparent when …


Voluntary Intoxication As A Mitigating Circumstance During The Death Penalty Sentencing Phase: A Proposal For Reform Comment., Jeffrey A. Walsh Jan 1998

Voluntary Intoxication As A Mitigating Circumstance During The Death Penalty Sentencing Phase: A Proposal For Reform Comment., Jeffrey A. Walsh

St. Mary's Law Journal

When the State of Texas seeks the death penalty against a defendant, the trial court conducts a sentencing proceeding under Article 37.071 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. This proceeding determines whether the defendant will receive the death penalty. During deliberation, the jury must consider all mitigating evidence. The defendant may claim his voluntary intoxication as a mitigating factor. Under Tex. Pen. Code § 8.04(b), the court instructs the jury to consider evidence of voluntary intoxication only if it rendered the defendant temporarily insane. Although Article 37.071 calls upon juries to consider “all” mitigating evidence, a Section 8.04 instruction …