[Ppnews] Mumia Abu-Jamal - Legal Update, June 10

[Political Prisoner News]

Legal Update


Date:       June 10, 2008
From:      Robert R. Bryan, lead counsel
Subject:  Legal Update on behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal, death row, Pennsylvania

This Legal Update is made on behalf of Mumia 
Abu-Jamal, who is on Pennsylvania’s death row.

United States Court of Appeals for the Third 
Circuit, Philadelphia  Yesterday the U.S. Court 
of Appeals for the Third Circuit entered an order 
extending the due date for submitting the 
Petition for Rehearing En Banc on behalf of my 
client, Mumia Abu-Jamal.  We will file it on June 27, 2008.

There apparently is still confusion regarding the 
March 27 federal decision.  A new jury trial was 
ordered on the question of whether the penalty 
should be life or death.  The court did not rule 
that Mumia should receive a life sentence as some 
have stated.  The penalty-phase was reversed 
because the trial judge gave misleading and 
unconstitutional jury instructions.  Nonetheless, I expect far greater gains.

There was a lengthy dissenting opinion on the 
issue of racism in jury selection.  It found that 
there was prima facie evidence of the prosecutor 
engaging in racism.  He removed prospective 
African-American jurors for no reason other than 
the color of their skin.  That violates the 
United States Constitution.  This extraordinary 
dissent goes to the core of our effort to secure 
an entirely new trial.  The first step in that 
process is what we presently are about—convincing 
the entire federal court that the case should be 
reheard and full relief granted.  This dissent 
serves as the basis for that effort and, if need 
be, going to the United States Supreme Court.

Mumia remains on death row.  The prosecution has 
vowed to appeal and continue its quest to see him 
executed.  I will not let that happen.

Donations for Mumia's Legal Defense in the United 
States  The only way to ensure that donations in 
the U.S. go only to the legal defense is to make 
checks payable to the National Lawyers Guild 
Foundation (indicate "Mumia" on the bottom 
left).  The donations are tax deductible.  Checks should be mailed to:
Committee To Save Mumia Abu-Jamal
P.O. Box 2012
New York, NY 10159-2012

Conclusion  This case can be won.  In over three 
decades of successfully defending people in 
capital murder cases, I have not seen one more 
compelling.  Racism is a thread that has run 
through the case since its inception.  My 
objective remains to obtain a new jury trial in 
which Mumia will be acquitted by a jury so that 
he can return to his family, a free person.

On behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal, I thank you.


Yours very truly,

Robert R. Bryan
Law Offices of Robert R. Bryan
2088 Union Street, Suite 4
San Francisco, California 94123-4117

Lead counsel for Mumia Abu-Jamal
[<mailto:RobertRBryan at aol.com>RobertRBryan at aol.com]



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