Racially Charged Testimony Helped Put Duane Buck on Death Row. Will the Supreme Court Step In?
Duane Buck killed two people in 1995 and pleaded guilty. But was it racial bias that put him on death row?
Jordan Smith
Jordan Smith is a state and national award-winning investigative journalist based in Kansas City, Missouri. She has covered the criminal legal system for more than 25 years and, during that time, has developed a reputation as a resourceful and dogged reporter with a talent for analyzing complex social and legal issues. She spent more than 20 years reporting in Texas where she was regarded as one of the best investigative reporters in the state. Her investigative work in wrongful conviction cases has helped to exonerate six people. A longtime staff writer for the Austin Chronicle, her work has also appeared in The Nation, the Crime Report, and the Texas Observer, among other places.
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Convicted of a Crime That Never Happened: Why Won’t Texas Exonerate Fran and Dan Keller?
The Texas couple was jailed during a nationwide panic over “satanic ritual abuse” — a phenomenon long since debunked. Will the Austin district attorney finally let them clear their names?
In Las Vegas, Embattled Forensic Experts Respond to Scandals and Flawed Convictions
At a recent convention in Las Vegas, forensic experts responded to charges that they have no scientific basis for their conclusions.
Securus Settles Lawsuit Alleging Improper Recording of Privileged Inmate Calls
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of jail inmates in Austin, Texas, lent context to a leaked database of 70 million Securus call records, as well as credence to claims by prisoners, who often insist that all of their communications are recorded.
Lawyers Speak Out About Massive Hack of Prisoners’ Phone Records
An anonymous hacker provided <em>The Intercept</em> with millions of call records belonging to prison telecom giant Securus. Now, lawyers are speaking up about apparent violations of attorney-client privilege.
Did a Dubious Confession Sway a Medical Examiner's Autopsy in a Texas Death Penalty Case?
Texas will soon execute a man based on the conclusions of a forensic pathologist with a troubling history.
Massive Hack of 70 Million Prisoner Phone Calls Indicates Violations of Attorney-Client Privilege
The exposure of millions of phone records across dozens of states sheds light on the dubious claims and practices of Securus Technologies.
Trials of Richard Glossip
All Executions On Hold in Oklahoma Following Last-Minute Stay for Richard Glossip
The attorney general sought an indefinite stay on executions to solve problems with Oklahoma's lethal drugs. Meanwhile, doubts linger over the state's official account.
Trials of Richard Glossip
With Last-Minute Stay, Richard Glossip Execution Blocked — Again
In a dramatic and wholly unexpected move, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin halted the execution of Richard Glossip on Wednesday, citing “last-minute questions” about the lethal injection protocol the state planned to use to kill him.
Trials of Richard Glossip
With Questions Over His Guilt, Court Gives Richard Glossip Two More Weeks To Live
An Oklahoma appeals court issued a last-minute stay of execution for Richard Glossip in order to consider new evidence that could prove his innocence.