Category Archives: Legal Updates

Top US Court Sends Mumia Abu-Jamal Closer to Execution

February 13, 2010

Mumia Abu-Jamal is a former Black Panther, award winning journalist, behind-bars commentator on critical social issues–and an innocent man on death row. In April 2009, after more than two decades of court rulings that ignored mounting evidence of his innocence, the Supreme Court upheld his 1982 frame-up conviction without comment. Then, this January, the Court moved closer to reinstating his death sentence–which had been put on hold by lower court rulings.

The US Supreme Court has shown it will do anything necessary to support the rule of their big corporate bosses, as seen most recently in the Citizens United ruling, which threw out the ban on independent corporate spending during an election. Years of legislation was undone in a single blow, to further tighten the death grip of big money over politics in the US. But the courts also obey the commands of their armed thugs in the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), and politicians that support them, even if it means walking all over their own legal precedents and trampling on the most basic principles of justice. Continue reading →

Alert! New Threat to Mumia’s Life!

January 17, 2010

Mumia Abu-Jamal, an innocent man on death row and the world’s best-known political prisoner, now faces an immediate new threat to his life from the US Supreme Court. The Court ruled last year on Mumia’s appeal, by summarily refusing to even consider a reversal of his unjust 1982 murder conviction in a blatantly racist court. And last week, the Supreme Court discussed a cross-appeal by the State of Pennsylvania to reinstate Mumia’s death sentence, which had been put on hold by a federal court in 2001. A ruling could be announced as early as Tuesday this week.

It would be an illusion to expect good news. Supporters should stay tuned, and be prepared to participate in actions to free Mumia! Continue reading →

HEAR THE EVIDENCE!

Judge Pamela Dembe has canceled a court hearing in the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal that was scheduled for February 11, 2005. The LAC views this cancellation as ominous.

Judge Dembe had ruled previously that a comment made by Mumia’s original trial judge, Albert Sabo, at the time of the trial, that he (Sabo) was “going to help ’em fry the n—-r,” did not in any way prove bias as to Sabo’s rulings! Dembe’s ruling held that Mumia had no rights that were infringed by the trial judge’s use of the most heinous of racist epithets, nor by his clear statement of complicity with the prosecution to frame a death sentence before hearing any evidence in the case. This is essentially a restatement of the infamous Dred Scott decision–the 1857 U.S. Supreme Court ruling which held that, “The Black man in America has no rights that a white man is bound to respect.”

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Outrageous Decision!

October 2003—The courts have once again shown their true face, by denying justice to Mumia Abu-Jamal. In a ruling on October 8th, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected Jamal’s appeal, despite mountains of evidence that shows he was framed for a crime he didn’t commit. For the Court, evidence has no merit if it’s not “timely.” In other words, if you’re a little late getting to court with new evidence to prove your innocence, too bad. You’re dead…because, innocence is no defense!

The US Supreme Court said the same thing in Herrera v Collins in 1993, and an innocent man went to his death. The 1996 Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA), a Republican crime bill signed by Democratic President Bill Clinton, made timeliness official in death row appeals, and effectively killed the right of habeas corpus. So it was no surprise when William H.Yohn cited both Herrara and the AEDPA in denying Mumia’s federal appeal in December 2001. There’s no statute of limitations on murder committed by individuals, but to prove your innocence, you better be on time! (In Mumia’s case, betrayal of earlier counsel caused a delay in presenting key evidence, but the Court still gave thumbs down.)

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112 Questions for Attorney Leonard Weinglass

Philadelphia. Attorneys for death row journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal today asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to order Mumia’s prior Chief Counsel, Leonard Weinglass, to answer under oath 112 questions concerning charges that he was responsible for the “intentional burying of evidence that proves Appellant Jamal’s ‘actual innocence’ of the crime of which he has been convicted.”

Mumia’s attorneys charge in their 43-page motion that conflicts of interest on the part of Mr. Weinglass were responsible for his “intentionally failing to raise numerous meritorious claims” that Mumia was deprived of a fair trial, fair appeal and fair post-conviction proceedings. Mumia’s attorneys also charge that Weinglass “intentionally sabotaged” claims for relief that he did present.

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