Mumia's Life/Death Struggle: 2/8 Legal Update!

[nattyreb]

via; Freedom Archives
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Date: February 8, 2009

From: Robert R. Bryan, lead counsel
Subject: Mumia Abu-Jamal, death row - U.S. Supreme Court

Download the document HERE
<http://www.freemumia.com/pdfs/febupdate.pdf>

New case filing in Supreme Court On February 4, 2009, the U.S. Supreme
Court docketed and accepted for filing the Petition for Writ of
Certiorari, with supporting Appendix, that I had submitted December 19,
2008 on behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal. (AbuJamal v. Beard, U.S. Sup. Ct. No.
08-8483.) A copy of the petition is attached. The central issue in this
case is racism in jury selection. The prosecution systematically removed
people from sitting on the trial jury purely because of the color of
their skin, that is, being black. The bigotry that killed Martin Luther
King, Jr., so many years ago, has been rampant in the case of my client
and is a central part of the state's quest to murder him in the name of
the law.

Prosecution's separate Supreme Court petition In an entirely separate
case (Beard v. Abu-Jamal, Sup. Ct. No. 08-652), the prosecution is
seeking to overturn the victory we achieved last year in the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Third Circuit. (Abu-Jamal v. Horn, 520 F.3d 272 (3rd Cir. 2008).)
In that ruling the court ordered a new jury trial on the question of the
death penalty. Our Brief In Opposition will be filed in the Supreme
Court on February 13, 2009.

Donations for Mumia's Legal Defense -- The legal defense for Mumia needs
help. The costs for our litigation in two case before the Supreme Court
are substantial. To help, please make your checks payable to the
"National Lawyers Guild Foundation" (indicate "Mumia" on the
bottom left). The donations are tax deductible, and should be mailed to:

Committee To Save Mumia Abu-Jamal
P.O. Box 2012
New York, NY 10159-2012

Conclusion -- Mumia remains on Pennsylvania's death row. We are in an epic
struggle in which his life hangs in the balance. What occurs now in the
Supreme Court will determine whether Mumia will have a new jury trial,
or die at the hands of the executioner.

As I have previously pointed out, Mumia is in greater danger than at any
time since his 1981 arrest. Your support and activism is needed. This
great journalist and author does not belong on death row or in prison.
We must not rest until he is free.

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
[E-mail: RobertRBryan@aol.com]