Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 5.20.26
Governor Ivey set 6.11.26 as the execution date for Jeffery Lee and she has the power to grant clemency. It is important to note that he has many powerful issues, including 7-5 jury override of the life without sentence for which the jury had voted and at the time of the crime an untreated TBI
Mr. Lee is a highly respected and much loved member of our Board and Secretary/Treasurer. Jeffery Lee has a Facebook page “Life For Jeffery Lee” and a website https://www.lifeforjefferylee.com/ where you can learn more about Jaylove, as he is called by his friends and family. The Talking Points and address for the Governor can be found at https://www.phadp.org/execution-alert-10/ .and the petition https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-the-execution-of-jeffery-lee-in-alabama/ We are forwarding actions from his team The Life for Jeffery Lee Campaign, and hope that we can count on you to act on his behalf!
On Sunday thousands marched in Montgomery for voting rights and they brought Jeffery Lee with them. We are overwhelmed by the support shown at All Roads Lead to the South National Day of Action. Advocates from across the county carried his name through the streets of the Alabama State Capitol.
On Monday we attended a screening of Jeffery’s clemency video in Montgomery. He had warned me that it would be “raw and intense” and it was, but we are so grateful to his team and all they are doing so that Jeffery is seen!
From the Death Penalty Information Center:” The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) wants to fast-track death penalty appeals and has proposed a new set of regulations designed to facilitate that process. If implemented, the proposed rule would allow the Attorney General to “certify” active death penalty states like Texas, Florida, and Alabama, resulting in shorter filing deadlines and restricted federal court review, among other changes intended to move appeals through the courts more quickly. The rule as currently proposed allows the Attorney General to make certification decisions based only on the assertions of state officials that they provide competent attorneys to prisoners for their state post-conviction appeals.” And who can trust state officials in Alabama?
What to Know: Jury Selection and the Death Penalty by the Death Penalty Information Center examines what we already know which is that in a racist state jury selection will be racist.
Last Thursday Texas had it’s 600th execution after the U.S. Supreme court voting along party lines lifted Mr. Busby’s temporary stay which the Fifth Circuit had granted citing recent testing by the defense that showed Busby is intellectually disabled — a finding agreed to by an expert witness retained by the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office. The new testing followed earlier results at trial that showed low IQ scores. Very bad news not just for those in TX!
As a death row organization it is not surprising that we hear from death penalty pen pal groups and when we can we do our best to be of help. We just received the beautiful spring edition of Human Writes for which many thanks. Esther also attended the first meeting of an Institute for Death Row Correspondence support group.
We thank all who are working so hard and diligently to stop all killing in Alabama! And as always in closing, we thank all our generous donors who either gave by going to our website and using the “donate” button or who gave directly. Thank you also to all who took the time to read our notes, commented, liked and shared them on Facebook. Stay safe and be kind to each other.
Esther
