Justice for All
Fair Trial Analysis aims to promote justice by effectively measuring the fairness of criminal trials.
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Why Randomized Controlled Experiments Are the Gold Standard for Proving Causation
A randomized controlled experiment is a study in which participants are randomly assigned to one of two or more conditions. One group (the treatment group) experiences the condition of interest—for example, a new policy, medication, or procedural change. The other group (the control group) does not. Because the assignment is random, the two groups are…
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Execution of Marion Wilson: A Cautionary Tale for Habeas Counsel
Marion Wilson’s life began in instability and violence long before it ended in a Georgia execution chamber. His case is often remembered for the crime that brought him to death row, but its legal significance lies elsewhere—in what the courts concluded could not be shown about his life, and what that failure ultimately cost him….
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The Burden of Proving Prejudice from Trial Errors and Omissions in Post-Conviction Proceedings
In post-conviction proceedings, showing that a trial was defective is not enough. The petitioner must prove that the defect was harmful—that it had a substantial and injurious effect or influence in determining the jury’s verdict. Even for constitutional violations, the Supreme Court has made clear that reversal is not automatic. Instead, the petitioner bears the…
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Florida’s Death Penalty Should Focus on the Worst Offenders, Not Broader Application
Florida has been on an execution spree—not of carrying out death sentences, but of handing them out. In recent years, the state has systematically expanded capital punishment, adding new eligible offenses including sexual abuse of children, mandating automatic death sentences for undocumented immigrants convicted of capital crimes, and reducing the jury threshold from unanimous to…
