New from Oxford University Press:
Imprisoned by the Past: Warren McCleskey and the American Death Penalty (Jan. 2015), by
Jeffrey L. Kirchmeier (City University of New York School of Law). The Press explains:
Imprisoned by the Past: Warren McCleskey and the American Death Penalty connects
the history of the American death penalty to the case of Warren
McCleskey. By highlighting the relation between American history and an
individual case, Imprisoned by the Past provides a unique understanding of the big picture of capital punishment in the context of a compelling human story.
McCleskey's
criminal law case resulted in one of the most important Supreme Court
cases in U.S. legal history, where the Court confronted evidence of
racial discrimination in the administration of capital punishment. The
case marks the last that the Supreme Court realistically might have held
that capital punishment violates the Eighth Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution. As such, the
constitutional law case also created a turning point in the death
penalty debate in the country. The book connects McCleskey's case -- as
well as his life and crime -- to the issues that have haunted the
American death penalty debate since the first executions by early
settlers and that still affect the legal system today.
Imprisoned by the Past
ties together three unique American stories in U.S history. First, the
book considers the changing American death penalty across centuries
where drastic changes have occurred in the last fifty years. Second,
the book discusses the role that race played in that history. And
third, the book tells the story of Warren McCleskey and how his life and
legal case brought together the other two narratives.
A blurb of note:
"No legal decision in the last half of the 20th century characterized
America's continuing failure to confront its history of racial
inequality more than the McCleskey decision. Jeff Kirchmeier's welcomed
and insightful book brings much needed context and perspective to this
critically important issue. Compelling and thoughtful, this book is a
must read for those trying to understand America's death penalty and its
sordid relationship to our failure to overcome three centuries of
racial injustice." -- Bryan Stevenson, Executive Director of the Equal
Justice Initiative
More information is available
here.
