Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Death Penalty, Discrimination Law, DNA, Murder, Racial Discrimination, Translation, True Crime

Pervis Payne: Not as Innocent as the Germans would have you Believe

The FAZ recently published a feature (g) on Pervis Payne, a former Tennessee death row inmate who now claims innocence. Payne, now in his 50s, was convicted in 1988 of the 1987 stabbing murders of Charisse Christopher, 28, and her daughter Lacie Jo, 2. Payne's death sentence was later vacated when it was shown he… Continue reading Pervis Payne: Not as Innocent as the Germans would have you Believe

Comparative Law, Criminal Law, Discrimination Law, Police and Prosecutors

Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht über Rassismus in den USA: Ein Leserbrief an die NZZ

Sehr geehrte Redaktion der NZZ, Am 5.6.2020 veröffentlichte die NZZ einen Beitrag von Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht über Rassismus und Polizeigewalt in den Vereinigten Staaten unter dem Titel: "Wie kann es immer wieder zu Gewalt gegen Afroamerikaner kommen – wenn doch eine Mehrheit solche Akte ablehnt?" Leider enthält der Artikel zahlreiche Fehler. Gumbrecht schreibt z.B.: "[D]er afroamerikanische… Continue reading Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht über Rassismus in den USA: Ein Leserbrief an die NZZ

Comparative Law, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Discrimination Law, Miscarriages of Justice, Murder, Police and Prosecutors, Policy, Self-Promotion, Soering, True Crime

10 Commandments for Better Reporting on American Criminal Trials

In December 2019, I was cordially invited by the German media-criticism website Übermedien to write a critique of how German journalists cover American criminal court cases. I decided to focus on two German documentaries about Germans in prison for murder in the United States. The result was published here (g) on January 23. I've translated that… Continue reading 10 Commandments for Better Reporting on American Criminal Trials

Discrimination Law, Legal Education

Discrimination Against Women and Minorities in German Bar Exams?

Forgive the sparse posting; I've been a bit busy lately. But I finally got a chance to look at what is probably the most ambitious study of discrimination in German legal education ever conducted. I'll lay out the findings, then add a few comments from my own perspective. The study was carried out by Andreas… Continue reading Discrimination Against Women and Minorities in German Bar Exams?