Two Films

Tubi continues to provide interesting films.

Paperback Hero is a charming Australian romantic comedy with Hugh Jackman having a chance to keep his accent. He's a truck driver who wrote a romance novel, which leads to complications. Nothing surprising, just overall enjoyable.

The Pastor and the Pro is weirder. A young pastor-in-training decides to hire a prostitute, whom he likes, to be his escort to a church function. The use of Jacob/Leah/Rachel for a romantic triangle is one sign of whimsy. This short film  (under eighty minutes) has some serious ideas and strong performances.

Constitution Day

September 17 was Constitution Day and David Souter's Birthday. Meanwhile, Trump continues to be anti-constitutional, including regarding the Media. Happy Suffrage Day (comments).

More Executions

Stacy Humphreys 

Georgia planned to execute Stacey Humphreys for a double robbery/homicide last December. 

The press (as discussed here) tried to obtain more information about the execution. Open access is important for due process and public education.  

A state court blocked the execution. He might be eligible pursuant to a state law protecting victims of abuse. Net result: the execution warrant ran out.

Jeffery Lee

Alabama planned to execute Jeffery Lee using nitrogen gas. A lower court, not blocked by the Supreme Court this time, held it was unconstitutionally risky. They used lethal injection.

The final appeal challenged Alabama's ability to switch methods. Lee's lawyers argue the state said "nitrogen gas," and they don't have the right to switch now. Lee offered the firing squad as a backup option (one is required) when challenging the nitrogen gas. 

Denied without comment. The liberals pick their spots. The back-and-forth nature of this execution provides some grounds to drop a statement or dissenting opinion. A statement would flag concerns, but not enough to warrant granting a stay of execution and/or a cert. grant. 

Lee was convicted of a double homicide. The jury (7-5) voted to apply a life sentence without parole. The judge overruled it and applied the death penalty.

If we set twenty years as "too long," the murders took place in 2003. OTOH, the Supreme Court has never accepted the "taking too long" approach.  

Here's a good summary. 

LeJames Norman

Norman and a second person (who is scheduled to die later this month) murdered three people in an attempted robbery twenty years ago. 

They were 19 and 20. The constitutional line has been set at 18. Age is still a mitigating factor. 

There is also a citation of "chaotic, impoverished, and violent childhoods." Norman also showed remorse and testified against his co-defendant.* 

The final appeal argued that the prosecutor corruptly baited and switched. They used Norman to convict his co-defendant and then badmouthed him, sometimes with lies, during his own trial.

SCOTUS denied it without comment, which is normal enough, though it did take until late afternoon on the day of the execution. He was then executed. 

I'm sure the lawyers raised various other claims over the years. Overall, the best reason not to execute is that there are enough mitigating factors.

Two people under 21 committed a horrible crime and have been in prison longer than they were alive. Execution does not improve the public welfare.

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* I will update this entry regarding that execution.

Mail-In Ballots

Not very verbose, but the Supreme Court (with feeling) held up Trump's attempt to screw over mail-in voting. Kavanaugh concurred while noting the rule change might be okay long-term. Alito (with Thomas) dissented. Vladeck with more. 

The Administration can still cause problems, including pressuring state officials by threatening them with prosecution. 

Schitt's Creek

 

This is/was a beloved show by many different types of people. I didn't really like the first season when I saw it some time back. I watched some mid-series episodes last weekend. 

Enjoyed it more. I think the show might have the most charm when the characters settle in and become more part of the town. Maybe a re-watch would improve things. 

OTOH, multiple shows kick in later in the series. Newhart, for instance, was not that good until the third season. Night Court too. 

25 Years?

I watched the film Executive Decision in the 1990s.

The film, with a small part for the then Mrs. Trump (Marla Maples), concerned terrorists taking control of an airplane.

The terrorist leader plans to detonate a bomb loaded with the DZ-5 in U.S. airspace. A special ops team, including a civilian terrorist consultant played by Kurt Russell, manages to secretly board the plane. It's an entertaining film, though I don't think it quite sticks the landing in the last reel.

Five years later, I listened to the radio as an on-the-scene reporter tearfully reported that one of the twin towers collapsed. I could see the smoke from midtown Manhattan. A few days later, I passed the church where they were having funerals.

I think one good memorial is the names placed on tiles on the wall in a passageway of the Union Square train station of those who died. Has it been 25 years? 

Oh well.

Florida Executes Daniel Owen Conahan

Daniel Owen Conahan kidnapped, raped, and murdered someone thirty years ago. He might have murdered someone else. I understand sentencing him to death. 

Justice Breyer explained why it is wrong to execute him now. It was a dissenting opinion, though I wish someone on the current Court took up the cause. Conahan's final appeal argued that he deserves additional DNA testing. It was probably correctly denied. 

It might be good policy to supply the testing. What is the harm? Ultimately, the death penalty is wrong, especially if it is held in abeyance for three decades. More executions to come.