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Court: Gang founder's execution can go on
By wire services
Published December 1, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO - The California Supreme Court refused Wednesday to halt the scheduled execution of convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams, the Crips gang founder who became an anti-gang activist while in prison and whose supporters claim has redeemed himself.
In a last-ditch legal move, defense attorneys petitioned the high court earlier this month, alleging shoddy forensic testing and other errors may have wrongly sent Williams to San Quentin State Prison, where he is scheduled die by injection Dec. 13.
Lawyers for Williams, author of a series of antigang books for children, wanted to re-examine ballistics evidence that showed his shotgun was used to kill three people during a motel robbery in 1979.
The defense said the forensic evidence was "junk science." The court voted 4-2 without comment to deny the inmate's petition.
Court delays transfer of Padilla's custody
WASHINGTON - Jose Padilla's transfer from a military brig to a civilian jail was delayed Wednesday by a federal appeals court, the latest twist in the legal fight over the Bush administration's policy on U.S. terror suspects.
A three-judge panel from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., demanded more information from lawyers on both sides before approving the transfer to the Justice Department.
The move indicates the three judges could reconsider their September ruling backing the Bush administration's contention that American citizens like Padilla may be denied access to courts and held indefinitely as "enemy combatants" if the government thinks they are terror threats.
Schwarzenegger moves to shake up staff
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday took the first step to shaking up his administration after his resounding special election failure, appointing a longtime Democratic activist as his chief of staff.
The move to replace Patricia Clarey had been expected. But the announcement of Susan Kennedy as Clarey's replacement was a surprise. Kennedy, 45, was Cabinet secretary to former Gov. Gray Davis, who was ousted in the 2003 recall election.
[Last modified December 1, 2005, 01:08:09]
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