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Managing Capital Cases

Overview

The Center prepared the following sites to assist judges assigned capital cases, either federal death penalty prosecutions or capital habeas cases. The sites include resource guides describing practices and procedures used by courts and individual judges. The Center will add new materials as needed, and therefore these guides will be maintained on the following two websites rather than in hard-copy form.

Managing Federal Death Penalty Trials  
2007 (Website)
This site includes a 59-page guide that describes the statutes, case law, and policies applicable to federal capital case-management issues, such as appointment of counsel, case budgeting, and jury selection, and summarizes procedures judges have used in capital cases at each stage of the proceedings. Appendices to the guide include a listing of additional resources and a compilation of orders, jury questionnaires, instructions, verdict forms, and other materials developed by judges who have handled death penalty cases.

Managing Habeas Corpus Review of Capital Convictions  
Revised 2010 (Website)
This site includes a 42-page guide that covers management of cases involving federal habeas corpus review of state and federal capital convictions. It provides a summary of relevant law and case-management procedures used by federal courts in these cases. Appendices to the guide include case-management plans, general procedure orders, budgeting forms, scheduling orders, other forms, and a list of additional resources.