#eighth-amendment

#eighth-amendment

A federal appeals court has temporarily halted Thursday's scheduled execution of Texas death row inmate Edward Busby, citing concerns over his eligibility for capital punishment because of intellectual disability. The 2-1 decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is in place "pending further order" of the court. Busby argued that a federal district court improperly denied the inmate's request for funding to test him for intellectual disability. The appeal also provided two new tests from experts, including one provided by the state, that his lawyers argue prove Busby is intellectually disabled.

The Court finds that there is no genuine dispute of fact that gender dysphoria is a serious medical need,

"The state is responsible for the well being of any person it holds in its custody, regardless of whether that person has gender dysphoria or another diagnosis," Emily Early, an attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights who represented the plaintiffs, tells The Advocate. "Gender dysphoria is a medical condition that is just like any other condition of diabetes or cancer that the state must provide minimally adequate treatment for that meets constitutional standards."

A New York appeals court on Thursday threw out President Donald Trump's massive civil fraud penalty while upholding a judge's finding that he exaggerated his wealth for decades. The ruling spares Trump from a potential half-billion-dollar fine but bans him and his two eldest sons from serving in corporate leadership for a few years. The decision came seven months after the Republican returned to the White House.

Alabama was the first state to perform an execution with nitrogen hypoxia, in which nitrogen gas is administered through a mask to cause unconsciousness and death. It has now executed five people using the method. Louisiana has also used nitrogen hypoxia once, with a second prisoner who was set to be executed in March dying of natural causes three weeks before the scheduled execution date.

Black's lawyers raised concerns that his heart implant could attempt to shock him back to life, leading to undue suffering during the execution.

Cecilia Reyes' "Locked Out" investigation highlighted illegal evictions across America, uncovering police inaction and little tenant recourse, critical revelations on landlord impunity.