Montgomery, AL – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has joined a coalition of 16 states in supporting a proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that seeks to streamline the federal review process for state capital murder convictions.
The coalition submitted a letter backing DOJ’s proposed changes to regulations associated with the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA). According to the DOJ, inmates sentenced to death spend an average of 21 years on death row before their cases are resolved. Alabama officials contend that capital cases in the state can take even longer, citing federal judicial review as a significant factor contributing to delays.
Under current law, states are not required to provide legal counsel for indigent inmates beyond their first appeal. However, AEDPA created an incentive for states that voluntarily provide counsel during state post-conviction proceedings by offering expedited federal review procedures, including stricter deadlines and limitations on additional appeals…