Legal update: July 8, 2008 - Petition for Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, filed on behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal, death row, Pennsylvania
Robert R. Bryan, lead counsel
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia
On June 27, 2008, I submitted on behalf of my client, Mumia Abu-Jamal, a
Petition for Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc in the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the Third Circuit. Yesterday it was deemed "filed" by the court
following rulings on related motions. The focus of the Petition is the issue of
racism in jury selection. If unsuccessful, we will proceed to the United States
Supreme Court.
Below are two news articles concerning the Petition. Today's
Philadelphia Inquirer piece gives an overview of this newest development, while
that by Dave Lindorff is a brilliant analysis of these case developments and
its politics. ...
Donations for Mumia's Legal Defense in the U.S. To make tax deductible donations to the legal defense, please make checks payable to
the National Lawyers Guild Foundation (indicate "Mumia" on the bottom
left). They should be mailed to:
Committee To Save Mumia Abu-Jamal
P.O. Box 2012
New York, NY 10159-2012
Conclusion: Even though the federal court granted a new jury
trial on the question of the death penalty, we want a complete reversal of the
conviction. I will not rest until my client is free.
Yours very truly,
Robert R. Bryan
Law Offices of Robert R. Bryan
2088 Union Street, Suite 4
San Francisco, California 94123-4117
Lead counsel for Mumia Abu-Jamal
Inquirer
Posted on Mon, Jul. 7, 2008
Abu-Jamal seeks new trial in
Phila. Officer’s slaying
By Emilie Lounsberry
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Pennsylvania death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal has asked a federal
appeals court to reconsider the decision that denied him a new trial in the
1981 slaying of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner.
In late March, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Third Circuit left intact Abu-Jamal's conviction but said a new jury
should decide whether he deserved death or should be sentenced to life behind
bars.
Full story: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/24058064.html
OpEdNews
Mumia Abu-Jamal's Long-Shot Appeal for Reversal of Last Year's
Disastrous Third Circuit Ruling
By Dave Lindorff
Mumia Abu-Jamal and his attorney Robert R. Bryan yesterday
filed a formal petition seeking a full en banc reconsideration of last spring’s
decision by a three-member panel of the Third Circuit Federal Court of Appeals
rejecting his claim of a constitutional violation in the selection of jurors at
his 1982 murder trial in the shooting death of Philadelphia police officer
Daniel Faulkner.
The three-judge panel, in a 2-1 ruling, rejected Abu-Jamal’s
claim of a so-called Batson violation--namely that the city prosecutor trying
his case had denied him a fair trial by improperly barring qualified African Americans
from sitting on his jury. The two judges in the majority--both appointed to
their posts by President Ronald Reagan--stated that Abu-Jamal had failed to
raise the issue at the time of his trial, and that he had failed to make a
prima facie case of racial discrimination.
Full story: http://www.opednews.com/articles/Mumia-Abu-Jamal-s-Long-Sho-by-Dave-Lindorff-080707-97.html
