Capital times at SCOTUS

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear argument in Panetti (previously discussed here and here; lots more coverage collected here at How Appealing).  If SCOTUS sticks to the narrow question on which cert was granted, its ruling will be virtually inconsequential to the operation of the death penalty.  But, if some Justices seize Panetti to address broader issues, the case could become a blockbuster.  Oral argument today may provide some clues on how some Justices are approaching the case.

Meanwhile, yesterday the Justices heard argument in Uttecht v. Brown, a case that could greatly impact both capital jury selection and the review of death sentences in federal courts.  The oral argument transcript is available at this link, and Kent Scheidegger has an analysis of some of the issues that arose during argument in this post at Crime & Consequences. 

Capital Defense Weekly reviews all these SCOTUS development in this extended post.