Evidentiary hearing set for Troy Davis - June 30

Good news (hopefully) in the case of Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis: An evidentiary hearing has been scheduled for June 30 in Savannah. Davis will finally have an opportunity to present the evidence that could prove his innocence.

This follows a Supreme Court ruling last August in which the Supremes ordered that the evidence be reviewed in federal court.

I am cautiously optimistic. My caution stems from this reality check I received in an email from a fellow advocate for justice at Amnesty International:

"Unlike with a new trial, where the state would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty and convince 12 jurors; this is a hearing conducted by one judge. The burden falls on Davis to 'clearly establish his innocence', which is an incredibly high legal standard."

Sadly, justice doesn't come easy.

My regular readers are likely already familiar with Troy Davis's case. For those who are not, here is a summary:

Davis has been sitting on Georgia's death row since 1991 for the murder of a police officer which he maintains he did not commit.

Davis's original trial was flawed, and most of the witnesses have since recanted or contradicted their stories. There is no physical evidence linking him to the crime, and his conviction was based solely on that questionable testimony by witnesses.

In other words, there is reasonable doubt as to Davis's guilt. And there is no excuse to execute someone when there's reasonable doubt as to his guilt.

Stay tuned for updates, with fingers crossed.