Death Penalty News

David R. Dow Meet David R. Dow. I've written about him a handful of times on this very site, usually in a space describing laudable educators or men who have motivated me to get off the couch and make something of my life. He's a well-respected Texas death penalty lawyer, featured in a TedX speech that you can see here . He's the author of a handful of books, including a life-changing memoir called The Things I've Learned From Dying . He's written from the heart on the death penalty for a very long time, in book and brief form, challenging the Texas death machine along the way. As the representative of more than 100 Texas death row inmates, Dow's learned to celebrate the little successes. On a few occasions, he's saved the life of his clients. In his litany of positive outcomes was the Anthony Graves case. Dow was a part of the team that secured an exoneration for Graves, who in 2010 was set free from Texas's death row after spending 16 yea...

The lawyer who accused a Texas judge of rebuffing his last-minute attempt to halt an execution in 2007 was threatened with sanctions Wednesday if he files any more late appeals for death row inmates. Houston lawyer David Dow (left) was warned by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that if he again misses the court-imposed appeals deadline without good cause, he could be suspended from practicing before it. The warning came after Dow filed a late appeal for a death row client last November. The court said Dow violated a rule adopted in 2008, which says that any motions for a stay of execution are deemed untimely if filed less than 48 hours before the execution date. Dow and his attorney did not immediately comment. Sharon Keller, the appeals court's presiding judge, faces judicial misconduct charges. She is accused of improperly closing her court and denying killer Michael Wayne Richard the chance to file a final appeal hours before his execution. The state ...