Death Penalty Disgrace

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/opinion/01barr.html

This article presents a very anti-death penalty stance following a specific trial that was going through the court system. The author, Bob Barr, was a former member of the House of Representatives and also served in the Northern District of Columbia as an attorney, and now works as an Op-Ed writer for the New York times. These credentials show he is clearly experienced and credible in the context of law, however since he was one of the very men involved in the case, he may have some bias. From his legal point of view he believes the ideals placed by the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, a law he "helped write when [he] was in Congress.," are being abused by the Gerogia government. He believes simply reading the affidavitsis of Troy Davis' case is not enough and "only a hearing where witnesses are subject to cross-examination will put this case to rest." He is hoping to end this abuse of power to bring credibility back into the judiciary system.