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Managing Capital Cases

Managing Federal Death Penalty Trials: Orders and Forms

A. General Pretrial Orders

General pretrial order—Western District of Virginia 1  (PDF, 14 pp.)

General pretrial order—Western District of Virginia 2  (PDF, 5 pp.)

B. Appointment of Counsel

Order appointing retained counsel—Western District of Missouri   (PDF, 3 pp.)

Order appointing retained counsel—Northern District of Illinois  (PDF, 2 pp.)

Order appointing retained counsel—District of Connecticut   (PDF, 2 pp.)

Order appointing replacement counsel—Northern District of Alabama   (PDF, 2 pp.)

Order appointing replacement counsel—District of Connecticut    (PDF, 2 pp.)

Order appointing second counsel—Eastern District of Texas   (PDF, 2 pp.)

C. Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty

Notice of intent—Eastern District of Louisiana   (PDF, 3 pp.)

Notice of intent—Northern District of Texas   (PDF, 6 pp.)

Notice of intent—Eastern District of Texas (Marshall Division)   (PDF, 9 pp.)

Notice of intent—Eastern District of Texas (Lufkin Division)  (PDF, 2 pp.)

Order setting deadline for notice of intent—District of the District of Columbia   (PDF, 1 pp.)

Order setting deadline for notice of intent—Nothern District of Texas   (PDF, 3 pp.)

D. Investigators and Experts

Order appointing mitigation experts—Western District of Missouri   (PDF, 3 pp.)

Order appointing mitigation experts—Northern District of Illinois   (PDF, 2 pp.)

Order appointing psychologist—Western District of Missouri   (PDF, 3 pp.)

Order appointing investigator—Western District of Missouri   (PDF, 3 pp.)

E. Managing and Controlling Costs

Sample case budget from the Death Penalty Resource Counsel  (PDF, 23 pp.)

Memorandum re interim payments for experts—District of Connecticut   (PDF, 3 pp.)

Memorandum re counsel fees and expenses—Eastern District of Louisiana   (PDF, 5 pp.)

Memorandum re counsel fees and expenses—Northern District of Illinois   (PDF, 5 pp.)

Memorandum re counsel fees and expenses—District of Connecticut   (PDF, 3 pp.)

Order of referral of cost management to magistrate judge—District of Connecticut    (PDF, 1 pp.)

Order raising hourly rate for retained counsel—District of Connecticut   (PDF, 1 pp.)

Order re funds for experts and consultants—Western District of Missouri   (PDF, 11 pp.)

Order re funds for experts and consultants—Northern District of Texas 1   (PDF, 1 pp.)

Order re funds for experts and consultants—Northern District of Texas 2   (PDF, 1 pp.)

Order reducing fees for non-death penalty case—District of Connecticut   (PDF, 2 pp.)

Memoranda re budget meeting with counsel—District of Connecticut 1   (PDF, 1 pp.)

Memoranda re budget meeting with counsel—District of Connecticut 2   (PDF, 1 pp.)

Memoranda re budget meeting with counsel—District of Connecticut 3   (PDF, 2 pp.)

F. Juror Questionnaires

Order granting use of questionnaire—Northern District of Texas   (PDF, 2 pp.)

Juror questionnaire—Northern District of Texas   (PDF, 21 pp.)

Juror questionnaire—District of Kansas   (PDF, 20 pp.)

Juror questionnaire—Southern District of New York 1   (PDF, 18 pp.)

Juror questionnaire—Southern District of New York 2   (PDF, 17 pp.)

Juror questionnaire—Eastern District of Virginia   (PDF, 10 pp.)

Juror questionnaire—Eastern District of Michigan  (PDF, 19 pp.)

Juror questionnaire—District of Connecticut 1   (PDF, 43 pp.)

Juror questionnaire—District of Connecticut 1   (PDF, 27 pp.)

Juror questionnaire—Northern District of Texas   (PDF, 31 pp.)

Order to file joint proposed juror questionnaire—Northern District of Texas  (PDF, 2 pp.)

G. Jury selection/Voir Dire Materials

Description of jury selection procedures—Eastern District of Michigan  (PDF, 7 pp.)

Description of jury selection procedures—Southern District of New York   (PDF, 5 pp.)

Description of jury selection procedures—Northern District of Iowa  (PDF, 48 pp.)

Introduction to voir dire and selection—District of Kansas   (PDF, 14 pp.)

Script for jury voir dire—Western District of Virginia  (PDF, 14 pp.)

Order on motion for anonymous jury—Northern District of Iowa  (PDF, 81 pp.)

H. Jury Instructions-Guilt Phase

Opening summary for jurors—Northern District of Texas  (PDF, 3 pp.)

Opening instructions—Eastern District of Michigan  (PDF, 6 pp.)

Jury charge—Eastern District of Michigan   (PDF, 54 pp.)

Jury charge—District of Connecticut   (PDF, 61 pp.)

Jury charge—Northern District of Texas 1   (PDF, 14 pp.)

Jury charge—Northern District of Texas 2   (PDF, 11 pp.)

I. Penalty-Phase Issues

Preliminary penalty-phase instructions—Southern District of Georgia    (PDF, 9 pp.)

Penalty phase charge—Southern District of Georgia   (PDF, 29 pp.)

Penalty phase charge—Western District of North Carolina  (PDF, 30 pp.)

Penalty phase charge—Eastern District of Michigan  (PDF, 37 pp.)

Penalty phase charge—District of Connecticut 1  (PDF, 35 pp.)

Penalty phase charge—District of Connecticut 2   (PDF, 41 pp.)

Penalty phase charge—Northern District of Iowa 1  (PDF, 46 pp.)

Penalty phase charge—Northern District of Iowa 2  (PDF, 15 pp.)

Penalty phase charge—Northern District of Iowa 3  (PDF, 25 pp.)

Penalty phase charge—Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel   (PDF, 35 pp.)

Special-findings form—District of Kansas   (PDF, 12 pp.)

Special-findings form—Southern District of Georgia   (PDF, 35 pp.)

Special-findings form—Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel   (PDF, 12 pp.)

Special-findings form—District of Connecticut 1  (PDF, 15 pp.)

Special-findings form—District of Connecticut 2   (PDF, 18 pp.)

Special-findings form—Northern District of Iowa   (PDF, 11 pp.)