The World

10 ESSENTIAL STORIES

1 | Washington The Supreme Court Steps In On the Death Penalty Troy Davis, a Georgia man sentenced to death in 1991 for the murder of an off-duty cop, has long maintained his innocence. In the first decision of its kind in nearly 50 years, the U.S. Supreme Court is giving him a chance to prove it. The court ordered a federal judge in Georgia to hear new evidence in the case, including the fact that seven of nine key witnesses have recanted their original testimony. The ruling highlighted the Justices' divergent views on death-row appeals: "The substantial risk of putting...

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