Death sentences decline sharply as public attitudes shift

Only 30 people were sentenced to death in the United States this year, the lowest number since the early 1970s and a further sign of the steady decline in use of the death penalty. The number is a sharp drop from the 49 death sentences last year and just a fraction of the peak of 315 in 1996, according to a report from the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit organization that opposes capital punishment and tracks the issue.

The Latest: Man held for death of ex-reality show contestant

Volkswagen reached a deal with U.S. regulators and attorneys for car owners for the remaining 80,000 diesel vehicles caught in the company's emissions cheating scandal, a federal judge announced Tuesday. Volkswagen reached a deal that will give at least some owners of the remaining 80,000 diesel vehicles caught in the company's emissions cheating scandal the option of a buyback and provide compensation to all of them... The California Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a voter-approved measure intended to speed up the appeals process for the state's Death Row inmates to give it time to consider a lawsuit challenging the measure.

Mississippi court OKs challenge to questioned execution drug

A Mississippi man sentenced to death for the murder of a community college student won consent from the state's highest court Thursday to challenge a lethal injection drug that's been blamed for botched executions and other problems around the country. The Mississippi Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision , said Charles Ray Crawford can use a federal civil rights law to pursue a lawsuit in state court over the use of the sedative midazolam in executions.

Ohio inmate loses appeal to block 2nd attempt at execution

This undated file photo provided by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction shows death row inmate Romell Broom, whose 2009 botched execution was called off after two hours. The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a condemned Ohio killer who said the state should not get a second chance to put him to death after he survived a botched execution.

Advocates call Alabama execution an ‘avoidable disaster’

This undated photo provided by the Alabama Department of Corrections shows Ronald Bert Smith Jr.. Smith Jr., an Alabama inmate coughed repeatedly and his upper body heaved for at least 13 minutes during an execution, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, using a drug that has previously been used in problematic lethal injections in at least three other states.

US Supreme Court lets Alabama execution go ahead

The U.S. Supreme Court late Thursday said Alabama could execute an inmate convicted of killing a convenience store clerk, a decision handed down after a whirlwind of legal fillings and two court-ordered delays. Justices twice paused the execution as attorneys for Ronald Bert Smith Jr., 45, argued for a delay, saying a judge shouldn't have been able to impose the death penalty when a jury recommended he receive life imprisonment.

Philippines VP vows to take on Duterte after cabinet exit

Philippines Vice President Leni Robredo resigned from the cabinet on Monday but vowed to lead the opposition and challenge the policies of President Rodrigo Duterte, including his deadly war on drugs and moves to reinstate the death penalty. Robredo, who will remain vice president, had clashed frequently with Duterte and decided to resign from her ministerial role after being instructed via a text message to stay away from his cabinet meetings.

High Court To Examine Mental Disability, Death Penalty Issue

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to examine whether the nation's busiest state for capital punishment is trying to put to death a convicted killer who's intellectually disabled, which would make him ineligible for execution under the court's current guidance. Lawyers for prisoner Bobby James Moore, 57, contend that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state's highest criminal court, ignored current medical standards and required use of outdated standards when it decided Moore isn't mentally disabled.

Death penalty, the mentally disabled at issue for justices

This undated photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows inmate Bobby Moore. The U.S. Supreme Court this week examines whether the nation's busiest state for capital punishment is trying to put to death a convicted killer who's intellectually disabled, which would make him ineligible for execution under the court's current guidance.

Florida court: Jury must unanimously agree on death penalty

The fate of convicted killers on Florida's death row - as well as the fate of people awaiting trial for murder - was put in limbo Friday after the Florida Supreme Court ruled that death sentences require a unanimous jury. By a 5-2 vote the court struck down a newly enacted law allowing a defendant to be sentenced to death as long as 10 out of 12 jurors recommend it.