Supreme Court Ruling A Miscarriage of Justice

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision today to deny Troy Davis' death
penalty appeal will permit Georgia to execute him, as Mr. Davis has
exhausted all other legal avenues. Mr. Davis' execution was only two
hours away when the Court granted a temporary stay on September 23 to
decide whether to hear his case.

Virginia Sloan, President of
the Constitution Project, said: "The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to
refuse to hear Troy Davis' appeal constitutes the mere appearance of
justice. Because seven witnesses changed their original testimony and
six implicated another man since the conclusion of the trial, Mr. Davis
deserves to have his claims of innocence fully evaluated. Instead, the
courts have followed their procedures to this ultimate - and untimely -
end. Justice should be more than a formality, and the Supreme Court
should be more than a rubber stamp."

The Constitution Project's Death Penalty Committee, in a recent report,
condemned procedural barriers that prevent courts from addressing the
kinds of claims raised by the Davis case. The bipartisan Death Penalty
Committee includes supporters and opponents of the death penalty.
Committee member and former FBI Director Williams S. Session, in a recent article on the Davis case, called upon the High Court to "grant certiorari to avoid a miscarriage of justice."