Skip navigation

Press Releases
about Capital Punishment

Apr 09, 2026
ACLU Demands DNA Testing That Could Prove Innocence of Tony Carruthers, Man on Tennessee Death Row
The state is preparing to execute Tony Carruthers on May 21 even though serious questions remain about whether they have the right person.
Issue Areas: Capital Punishment Criminal Law Reform
Court case: Tony Von Carruthers v. State of Tennessee
Dec 18, 2025
ACLU Condemns Florida Supreme Court Decision Upholding Non-Unanimous Capital Juries
Florida’s law, allowing for juries split 8-4 to sentence people to death, is the most extreme in the country
Issue Areas: Capital Punishment
Court case: Michael Jackson v. State of Florida
Nov 19, 2025
New ACLU Report Exposes Systemic Failures Behind Wrongful Death Penalty Convictions
NEW YORK — The American Civil Liberties Union released Fatal Flaws: Innocence, Race and Wrongful Convictions today, a new report exposing how racism, human error, and systemic fa...
Issue Areas: Capital Punishment Racial Justice
Jun 26, 2025
ACLU Joins Calls to Gov. Newsom to Commute All Death Sentences as State Supreme Court Reviews Constitutional Challenge
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The American Civil Liberties Union joined the growing chorus of calls to Gov. Newsom to commute all death sentences on California’s death row to life witho...
Issue Areas: Capital Punishment
Jun 24, 2025
New ACLU Report Finds Racial and Religious Discrimination in Death Penalty Jury Selection
Death qualification prevents any person from serving on a capital jury if they do not believe in the death penalty and unjustly skews capital juries
Issue Areas: Capital Punishment
Apr 16, 2025
Court Issues Order Finding Extensive and Irredeemable Defects in the Application of the Death Penalty in Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — After hearing a historic challenge to the constitutionality of the death penalty and the practice of death qualification, a Kansas trial court has issued a wr...
Issue Areas: Capital Punishment
Court case: Challenging Death Qualification and the Death Penalty in Kansas
Image of the Statue of Liberty

About the ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union has media staff available to handle inquiries from journalists on national issues affecting civil liberties, including questions on legislative matters that touch on civil liberties and constitutional freedoms and inquiries related to ACLU lawsuits.

To schedule an interview with an ACLU expert, email media@aclu.org.

Contact an ACLU Affiliate

Map of the United States

The ACLU has 54 local offices across the U.S. working with attorneys and activists in their communities to shape better policies and spread awareness about their states' priority civil rights issues.

Local inquiries should be directed to the appropriate ACLU state affiliate.

The Latest in Capital Punishment

Explore More

News & Commentary Court Cases Podcasts Publications