Noteworthy recent capital developments

With all the fanfare over the possibility of a decision in Booker and Fanfan, I have not be able to keep up effectively with all the noteworthy death penalty stories of late.  Here are some quick highlights with links for more:

• With thanks to TalkLeft for its coverage here, the big news from Texas reported here is that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, in a rare action, today voted 5-1 to recommend a 120-day reprieve for Frances Newton, who is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday.  Newton could still tomorrow become the first African-American woman to be executed in modern Texas history if Texas Governor Rick Perry rejects the Board’s recommendation.

• As noted over at CrimProf Blog here, the ACLU has this week released an interesting and depressing report on the women on death row in the United States.  The report’s executive summary can be accessed here.

• And, following up on a topic discussed at length here, the penalty phase of Scott Peterson’s death penalty trial got underway today.  Details can be found in news accounts here and here.