On the front steps of Leonardo da Vinci's house, the Château du Clos Lucé, in Amboise, France in 2006 (left) and yesterday. Always good to take a refresher course on his brilliance.

Ohio Gov. DeWine weighs pardons, commutations before leaving office. Gov. @MikeDeWine created a faster path to pardons and now opposes the death penalty. Some hope that means he'll grant them clemency before he leaves office in January. dispatch.com/story/news/stat… @DispatchAlerts @lbischoff @OhStopExecution @ohiojpc @DeathPenaltyAct @uscedp @CCATDP

Frances Harvey, executive director of the @Atlantic_Ctr, said the group is deeply disappointed by the court’s decision not to address what she described as an “obvious problem.” “But that doesn’t change the fact that Jason Walsh has overreached in the most serious decision-making any district attorney has, which is to seek another person’s execution,” Harvey said. “What’s happening in Washington County is a disgrace to our justice system, and we will continue to call out this sort of misconduct when we see it.”     @padp_org @PACDLawyers @uscedp #Pennsylvania #deathpenalty

Pennsylvania Supreme Court denies request to intervene in questioned capital punishment cases. @Atlantic_Ctr had asked the justices to bar Washington County prosecutors from seeking death sentences. penncapital-star.com/crimina… @PennCapitalStar @PeteHallPA @padp_org @fjp_org @uscedp #deathpenalty

The price of execution secrecy: Tennessee paid $1.2M for execution drugs amid secrecy, failures. tennessean.com/story/news/20… @Tennessean @EvanMealins @KellyPuenteTN @Tndeathpenalty @TNOpenGovt @CCATDP @POGOwatchdog @uscedp #deathpenalty

Pennsylvania Supreme Court refuses to review Washington County DA’s decisions to seek death penalty. The appellate court did not provide any explanation for its decision. triblive.com/news/pennsylvan… @TribLIVE @PaulaReedWard @Atlantic_Ctr @padp_org @fjp_org @uscedp

The forensic dentist and doctor who concocted evidence to send a man to rot on Death Row for 30 years for a horrific crime he didn't commit. dailymail.com/crime-desk/art… @DailyMail @DaveHarryRivers @JusticesPromise @LaRepeal @justice4ms @cifsjustice @WTIUSA @innocence @uscedp #JimmieDuncan #Louisiana #Mississippi #deathpenalty

Here's a very interesting study in the @WashULRev — Clemency and Public Opinion: A Survey of Missouri Voters. washulawreview.org/clemency-… by @Social_Ecology (Prof. Nicholas Scurich) @brandonlgarrett @MADPMO @MoJusticeOrg @uscedp @CCATDP #deathpenalty

Guantanamo Dispatches: Ahead of Jury Selection, Defense Psychiatrist Calls USS Cole Defendant Unfit for Trial. Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri suffers flashbacks, memory loss, and confusion from his torture by the CIA, as well as brain damage that is visible on an MRI scan, that make him unable to competently assist in his own defense and understand the court proceedings against him, the doctor said. justsecurity.org/161589/defe… @just_security @carolrosenberg @GitmoWatch @uscedp @amnesty @Reprieve #deathpenalty

Commentary by Mark Olive — There must be room for clemency amid Florida’s execution spree. sun-sentinel.com/2026/10/21/… @SunSentinel @FLDeathPenalty @FADPorg @uscedp #deathpenalty

Ron DeSantis has issued another death warrant, this time scheduling the execution of Thomas Overton for November 19. Florida's status as an extreme outlier continues to grow. If the execution is carried out, Mr. Overton will be the 15th person this year to be executed despite prosecutors being unable to obtain a unanimous jury vote for death. The jury votes in his case were 8-4 and 9-3. In 2026, that would not be a death sentence in any other state. @FLDeathPenalty @FADPorg @uscedp #Florida #deathpenalty

Commentary: Arkansas’ candidates for governor ignore warning from botched execution. arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10… @ArkAdvocate @ademillo @arkansasabolish @uscedp #deathpenalty

A new article by Tim Lyman, recently published in the Advances in Social Science Research Journal, argues that prior statistical studies understate the extent of racial disparities in homicide prosecutions, particularly in Black defendant/White victim cases. Its discussion of statistical methods can be challenging to read, but bear with it. Here's a link. scholarpublishing.org/journa… @uscedp @NAACP_LDF @southerncenter @eji_org #deathpenalty

Tampa rapper convicted of murder requests death sentence in letter to judge. Four of his jurors voted for life. (My note: No state other than Florida permits a death sentence based upon an 8-4 jury vote.) fox13news.com/news/tampa-rap… @FOX13News @kyliejonesontv @FLDeathPenalty @FADPorg @uscedp #BillyAdams #deathpenalty

More coverage of Governor Ivey’s commutation of Toforest Johnson's death sentence. From the Montgomery Advertiser Gov. Ivey commutes death sentence for Toforest Johnson. montgomeryadvertiser.com/sto… “Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has commuted another death row prisoner's sentence to life in prison with no opportunity for parole.” @MGMAdvertiser @sarahgclifton From the Alabama Reflector Gov. Kay Ivey commutes death sentence of Toforest Johnson. alabamareflector.com/2026/10… “Johnson’s conviction for the 1995 murder of off-duty Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff William Hardy has faced numerous questions.” @ALReflector @innocence @WTIUSA @uscedp @PHADP @AlabamaArise @eji_org @CCATDP @amnestyusa #deathpenalty

.@CAgovernor @GavinNewsom’s death row mulling has support — though tempered — in California Legislature. sacbee.com/news/politics-gov… @sacbee_news @bystephenhobbs @DPFocus @SmartJusticeCA @Nor_Cal_United @ACLU_SoCal @ellabakercenter @WTIUSA @uscedp #deathpenalty

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey spares death row prisoner Toforest Johnson, citing doubts about evidence. apnews.com/article/toforest-… @AP @StatehouseKim @innocence @WTIUSA @PHADP @AlabamaArise @eji_org @uscedp @CCATDP #deathpenalty

Attorney thanks Alabama governor for commuting Toforest Johnson’s death sentence. “We are grateful to Governor Ivey for diligently reviewing Toforest’s case and taking action to spare an innocent man from execution,” said Ty Alper, one of Johnson’s attorneys, “This significant milestone was made possible by Alabamians from all sectors of society united in their belief that Toforest does not belong on death row. That list now includes Governor Ivey.” “Toforest Johnson is innocent,” his attorney said. “Now it is up to the courts to overturn his conviction and grant him a new trial. We will keep fighting until he is home with his family.” wsfa.com/2026/10/20/gov-ivey… @wsfa12news @JessicaUmbroTV @eji_org @PHADP @AlabamaArise @uscedp @WTIUSA @innocence @CCATDP #deathpenalty

‘This is just the beginning’: Daughter of Toforest Johnson reacts after death sentence commuted to life. wbrc.com/2026/10/21/this-is-… @WBRCnews @TaylorPollock96 @PHADP @eji_org @AlabamaArise @uscedp @WTIUSA @innnocence @CCATDP #Alabama #deathpenalty

Alabama man on death row for 3 decades gets clemency: 'Thank you, Lord.' usatoday.com/story/news/nati… @USATODAY @AmandaLeeUSAT @PHADP @AlabamaArise @eji_org @uscedp @WTIUSA @innocence @CCATDP #ToforestJohnson #deathpenalty

Alabama Man’s Death Sentence Is Commuted as Governor Cites Thin Evidence. nytimes.com/2026/10/20/us/de… @nytimes @byEduardoMedina @eji_org @PHADP @AlabamaArise @WTIUSA @innocence @uscedp @CCATDP #ToforestJohnson #deathpenalty