OntheWilderSide

For the past few years we have been following the case of Jeffrey Deskovic, a NY man who was found innocent by DNA evidence of a murder charge after 16 years in jail that he was railroaded into making a false confession for at age 16.  We knew Deskovic’s case had been handled improperly by the Westchester DA and the judges it came before.  Upon reading Jonathan Turley’s blog, it came to light that George HW Bush appointee and Obama nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, was one of those judges responsible:

Civil libertarians have been complaining that many liberals are ignoring that Judge Sonia Sotomayor has been viewed as hostile to core liberal values and has a fairly conservative voting record in many areas, including free speech, student rights, and criminal procedure. For a review of her cases, click here. Another case has come to light that shows little of the empathy cited by the White House. While Vice President Joe Biden has emphasized the Sotomayor “watches the back of police” in cases (which is supported in some of her more controversial rulings), she has shown little empathy for those challenging police or convictions. The case of Jeffrey Deskovic is being cited as one such case.

This video below tells the story of 6 men in NY jails who were found innocent by DNA evidence within a period of just 13 months due to the work of the Innocence Project. Music by Ahmad Ali. Directed by Ian Wilder. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgL0knXbT8U]

• Report on Jeffrey Deskovic wrongful conviction by Westchester DA
  
• When DNA Is Not Enough 4/21/07 1p
  
• Six in Thirteen: 6 more reasons to abolish the Death Penalty
• Innocent NYer released after 17yrs
• Touro Law: The Tankleff case and the problem of unjust convictions

Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, social & economic justice, video Tagged: | Criminal Justice, deskovic, innocence, Jonathan Turley, justice, Sotomayor, Supreme Court