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Read other letters about this article
"Anonymous" stated that it's "interesting to note that Abu-Jamal's appeal is being granted on procedural grounds."
That usually is the case. In fact:
In In 1993's Herrera vs. Collins, a five-justice majority led by Chief Justice William Rehnquist ruled in a Texas death row case that a "claim of innocence," even a claim of innocence based on newly found evidence, does not entitle an inmate convicted in state court to constitutional review by a federal court. (From a September 2004 UPI story on the death penalty.)
That case should send a chill through anyone.
The story goes on:
Federal courts do not exist to correct errors of fact in state courts, Rehnquist said, but to make sure someone is not imprisoned in violation of the Constitution.
