Phil Gasper: Countdown to a Legal Lynching

Despite the fact that Martin was later censured twice by the California Supreme Court for his racist practices, which led to death sentences in two of the cases he prosecuted being overturned, and despite the fact that the ACLU, the NAACP, the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund and numerous other groups, filed an amicus brief on Stan's behalf, the Ninth Circuit has twice rejected the claim that his constitutional rights were violated. Now the Supreme Court has upheld these decisions.

After years of inadequate legal representation, Williams now has a top legal firm working on his behalf, which claims to have uncovered fresh evidence of his innocence. They will be attempting to get the courts to reopen the case while simultaneously preparing an appeal for clemency to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who showed no mercy in the execution of a severely brain-damaged prisoner at the beginning of the year.

But the legal strategy is hopeless without enormous outside pressure. Stan's case exemplifies many of the key problems with the death penalty-racism, inadequate counsel, reliance on jailhouse snitches, all of which may soon result in the execution of an innocent man. Stan Tookie Williams needs your help.

For information about what you can do to help save his life, visit http://www.savetookie.org.

Phil Gasper is Professor of Philosophy at Notre Dame de Namur University in California and a member of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty. He can be reached at pgasper@ndnu.edu.