Reviewing the Criminal Week in SCT

Check out the Motions to vacate in the Brewer and Abdul-Kabir/Cole cases, about which I plan to briefly review the oral arguments from Wednesday:

The Brewer motion to vacate is here. The state's response is here. And the Brewer reply is here.

The Abdul-Kabir motion to vacate is here. The state's response is here. And the Abdul-Kabir reply is here.

The state's letter to the Court regarding both cases is here.

The Questions Presented are here:
(QP in 11284, QP in 11287)
(QP)

The cert. petitions, briefs in opposition, and reply briefs in these cases can now be found here at Supreme Court Times (thanks to Ross Runkel for sending along the information).

Abdul-Kabir v . Quarterman (05-11284, denial of rehearing, panel opinion) and Brewer v. Quarterman (05-11287, denial of rehearing, panel opinion).

[involves another test of whether Texas juries have an adequate opportunity, in capital cases, to consider mitigating factors when deciding whether to impose a death sentence... lawyers say the Fifth Circuit Court has consistently failed to follow Supreme Court precedent on the mitigation issue.]

Hat tip to Lyle over at SCOTUSblog.

Duenas Alvarez, 549 U.S. ___ (2007) (syllabus) was Wednesday's SCT opinion. (HT SCOTUSblog)

Here is my earlier post on Smith:

Fish for Dinner, the B vitamins kicking in now

A Review of the Smith v. Texas Transcript (took much too long):