Naming the Dragon: Litigating Race Issues During a Death Penalty Trial

16 Pages Posted: 8 Aug 2008

See all articles by Andrea D. Lyon

Andrea D. Lyon

Valparaiso University Law School; Valparaiso University Law School

Date Written: Summer 2004

Abstract

The issue of racial disparity in the administration of the death penalty is a persistent theme in modern capital jurisprudence. Starting with Furman v. Georgia and continuing on to McCleskey v. Zant,courts have struggled to come to grips with this issue. This article does not explore all of the legal ramifications of race and the death penalty, nor its political import. Rather, it tackles some of the practical problems facing a capital defense attorney in the courtroom by providing a brief overview of motions practice in this arena by using a federal capital case the author recently tried as an example.

Keywords: death penalty, race, jury selection, motions practice

Suggested Citation

Lyon, Andrea D. and Lyon, Andrea D., Naming the Dragon: Litigating Race Issues During a Death Penalty Trial (Summer 2004). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1211168 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1211168

Andrea D. Lyon (Contact Author)

Valparaiso University Law School ( email )

656 S. Greenwich St.
Valparaiso, IN 46383-6493
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.valpo.edu/law

Valparaiso University Law School ( email )

656 S. Greenwich St.
Valparaiso, IN 46383-6493
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.valpo.edu/law

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