In quasi tutti gli stati americani le sentenze capitali godono di un appello obbligatorio presso la locale Corte Suprema, con la possibilità di arrivare alla Corte Suprema Federale.
Solo in pochissimi stati la sentenza è udita dalla Corte d’Appello, con la possibilità di arrivare alla corte suprema locale e federale. L’appello habeas corpus inizia presso una corte statale ed è appellato con le stesse modalità. In alcuni stati, come il Texas, l’appello HC inizia prima che sia terminato l’iter dell’appello diretto.
Degli undici stati senza le corti d’appello sei hanno la pena di morte (Delaware, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Wyoming) e cinque no (Maine, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia)
Gli stati senza la pena di morte sono: Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, e Washington DC.
The state of the art about the American death penalty appellate review.
In almost all the American retentionist States a capital sentence has a mandatory direct appeal to the state Supreme Court (however it is named) and the possibility to be heard by the federal Supreme Court. This happens in states with or without the intermediate appellate court (two tier and three tier systems) In a few states (Alabama, Illinois (?), Kansas (?), South Carolina (?) and Tennessee)
the direct appeal is heard by the intermediate Court of Appeals, with the possibility to be heard by the state and federal Supreme Courts.
The collateral attack (habeas corpus proceeding) typically begins in a state court and is appellate to the state Supreme Court or, in the above few states, to the court of appeals. In some States as Texas, the HC is asked to begin before the end of the direct appeal.
Of the eleven states without intermediate appellate courts six are retentionist (Delaware, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Wyoming) and five abolitionist (Maine, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia)
THE STATES WITHOUT THE DEATH PENALTY (15) ARE:
Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. (Both the federal jurisdictions have the death penalty)
