Litigating in the Shadow of Death: Defense Attorneys in Capital Cases - Softcover

A unique and profoundly important contribution to the literature on the death penalty. White allows the leading capital defense attorneys to speak in their own voices. His work reveals a new source of arbitrariness in the death system - whether the penalty is imposed turns more on who is your lawyer than on how evil was your deed or your character.... This is vivid, gripping stuff. - Andrew Taslitz, Professor of Law, Howard University

An absorbing account of the ways in which defense attorneys represent capital defendants, ""Litigating in the Shadow of Death"" brings to light the paramount role these attorneys have played in shaping the modern system of capital punishment. Author Welsh White explains how attorneys' skills and abilities influence the determination of which capital defendants are sentenced to death. ""Litigating in the Shadow of Death"" shows how highly skilled defense attorneys are able to avoid death sentences for their clients in even the most aggravated cases, and how a group of dedicated lawyers have begun to transform the public's perception of capital punishment by revealing the extent to which innocent defendants are being sentenced to death. Professor White's descriptions of exemplary cases will provide an invaluable guide for lawyers planning to represent capital defendants, and students trying to understand our criminal justice system. His detailed, journalistic accounts of recent death penalty trials will also appeal to lay readers and activists seeking to understand who receives the death penalty and why.