Attached is an column in The Tennessean about the travesty surrounding Paul House. As some of you may know, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit heard House's habeas appeal en banc and in a sharply divided opinion upheld his conviction. As part of that, six of the judges expressed in a dissent their opinion that House may very well be innocent of the underlying crime. The judges in the majority, however, found that House was properly convicted and should be executed. This is an interesting concept to me: (1) it takes a jury of 12 of an accused peers to agree that beyond a reasonable doubt the accused is guilty; (2) it then takes those same 12 peers to all agree that the accused deserves death for the crime; (3) then, 6 federal appeals judges can express their opinions that a condemned man is innocent and still his case proceeds to execution? Can someone explain this to me? 6 out of 15 judges is 2/5s of the panel. OVER ONE THIRD. Here's hoping the United States Supreme Court accepts review or the governor grants clemency. If not, and he is executed, we will never know if they executed an innocent man (especially considering that the victim's husband has confessed!).
Still on death row though six judges think he is innocent?
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