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alexklein.bsky.social
Alex Klein
@alexklein.bsky.social
1.2K followers 880 following 440 posts
Associate Professor of Law at W&L Law. Death Penalty, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure. RPCV Moldova 🇲🇩2008-2010. She/Her. All views my own.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=2642510
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alexklein.bsky.social
Alex Klein @alexklein.bsky.social · Jul 2
A belated announcement: my article, The Eighth Amendment’s Paper Tiger: Pain, Executions, and the Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause came out this spring with Northeastern University Law Review.

scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/cgi/viewcont...
Reposted by Alex Klein
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
BREAKING: Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, blocks the Trump admin's efforts to transfer people whose death sentences Biden commuted to the "most restrictive prison in the federal system" (ADX Florence) — regardless of individualized assessments — during litigation.
Plaintiffs sued and now seek to preliminarily enjoin their transfers to ADX Florence while this suit proceeds. They bring several claims, most of which are longshots at best. That said, for the reasons explained below, they have shown a likelihood of success on their claim that their transfers to ADX Florence violate the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause. That is so because it is likely their redesignations were determined before their process even began, and that despite their hearings and appeals- they had no meaningful opportunity to challenge them. But the Con- stitution requires that whenever the government seeks to deprive a person of a liberty or property interest that the Due Process Clause protects whether that person is a notorious prisoner or a law-abiding citizen the process it provides cannot be a sham. In addition, such a deprivation of constitutional due process amounts to irreparable harm, and the balance of the equities supports relief. 2 Case 1:25-cv-03742-TJK Document 71 Filed 02/11/26 Page 3 of 35 Thus, the Court will grant their motion to the extent it asks the Court to enjoin their transfers to ADX Florence while this suit proceeds. At least for now, they will remain serving life sentences for their heinous crimes where they are currently imprisoned.
February 12, 2026 at 3:58 AM
Reposted by Alex Klein
lsolum.bsky.social
Denno on the Cruelty of Execution Methods

Deborah W. Denno (Fordham University School of Law) has posted Why Are Executions Becoming Crueler? on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Since the modern death penalty era, this country’s six execution methods have become crueler over time. This article details…
Denno on the Cruelty of Execution Methods
Deborah W. Denno (Fordham University School of Law) has posted Why Are Executions Becoming Crueler? on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Since the modern death penalty era, this country’s six execution methods have become crueler over time. This article details the execution procedures adopted across death penalty states up to the end of 2025, analyzing their societal and cultural underpinnings and explaining how they were implemented, including their shared flaws, unscientific origins and protocols, and reliance on untrained, unqualified, or unknown executioners.
legaltheoryblog.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:30 PM
alexklein.bsky.social
This was so much fun to read. Highly recommend!
msmith750.bsky.social Michael Smith @msmith750.bsky.social · 3d
My latest article, "In Praise of Generative AI," is forthcoming in the Iowa Law Review! In it, I present accounts from the Worst People You Will Ever Meet In Law in which they praise generative AI and all the extra terrible behavior it enables: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
In Praise of Generative AI 65 Pages Posted: Last revised: 9 Feb 2026 Michael L. Smith University of Oklahoma - College of Law Date Written: February 09, 2026 Abstract In this article, I team up with the Worst People You Will Ever Meet in Law to praise generative AI. After introducing themselves, these actors explain how this technology is a godsend. The terrible lawyer describes how he remains asleep at the wheel and turns over motions, briefing, and client counseling to erratic AI. The worst clients explain how they now prepare all legal documents themselves and refuse to pay attorneys’ unwarranted fees. The lazy judge describes how she replaces party submissions with AI and delegates the task of reasoned judgment to technology. The horrible law professor describes how he’s outsourced teaching, assessment, and scholarship to a machine. The disengaged law student explains how she uses AI to circumvent class discussions and assignments. And the sovereign citizen explains how he’s able to generate harassing nonsense at an unprecedented scale. I close with reflections on what this might mean for the technology’s use in legal spaces, including the need for both advocates and critics of generative AI to consider how the technology will be misused and abused. Finally, I warn that prolonged generative AI usage might transform reasonable individuals into my terrible coauthors. Keywords: artificial intelligence, generative AI, large language models, legal writing, litigation, discovery, professional responsibility, misconduct, pedagogy, sovereign citizens, law and technology
February 9, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Reposted by Alex Klein
penny-arcade.com
Take control of your mind. Start thinking for free!

See and read the full comic on penny-arcade.com !
#AISlop #WriteForFree #ThinkForYourself #AIisAGrift #comedy #foryou
February 4, 2026 at 5:00 PM
alexklein.bsky.social
One of the most troubling ethical issues for me is the notion that deadbots can serve as a reasonable substitute for a deceased person in any capacity. They cannot, because they are not.This technology is weaponizing and manipulating grieving people in the hope of seeing profits one day. It's cruel.
theatlantic.com The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 11d
AI “deadbots” aim to replace the dead—and raise plenty of ethical issues, Charley Burlock argues. “Perhaps the biggest question is how such a product might shift our experience of personal grief and collective memory.”
The AI Companies Trying to Make Grief Obsolete
You can buy an AI version of your lost loved one. But should you?
bit.ly
February 4, 2026 at 2:01 PM
alexklein.bsky.social
Saturday reading: The Deserving, by Elizabeth Vartkessian. I’m scheduled to teach mitigation in my Death Penalty class next week, so a new book about mitigation investigations is a fantastic resource for my students.
A photograph of a book: The Deserving, by Elizabeth Vartkessian
January 31, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Reposted by Alex Klein
keribla.bsky.social
Tonight Texas executed Charles Thompson. These were his last words:
Inmate: Charles Victor Thompson #999306 Execution Date: January 28, 2026 Pronounced Deceased: 6:50 p.m. Last Statement: "Yes, I would like to say that I hope the victim’s family, their extended family, and their loved ones can find forgiveness in their heart and that you can begin to heal and move past this. There is no winners in this situation, it creates more victims and traumatizes more people twenty-eight years later. I’m sorry for what I did, I’m sorry for what happened, and I want to tell all of y’all, I love you and that keep Jesus in your life, keep Jesus first. To my children, get to know the Lord, and I love you all. That’s it Warden."
January 29, 2026 at 1:34 AM
Reposted by Alex Klein
khickmanjd.bsky.social
Attn junior admin law scholars--submit your abstracts by 2/27 for the annual new scholarship roundtable--a fantastic venue for getting feedback & making connections in the field--this year at Vanderbilt Law. Details at the link:
www.yalejreg.com/nc/call-for-...
Call for Papers: Eleventh Annual Administrative Law New Scholarship Roundtable - Yale Journal on Regulation
Vanderbilt Law School is very pleased to host the Eleventh Annual Administrative Law New Scholarship Roundtable on June 2-3, 2026. For the past ten years, the Roundtable has offered administrative law...
www.yalejreg.com
January 23, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Reposted by Alex Klein
innocenceproject.bsky.social
BREAKING: 70 years after his wrongful execution, Tommy Lee Walker is declared innocent.

“The court’s declaration today provides some semblance of belated justice to Mr. Walker’s legacy, and to his son, our client Edward Smith,” said Chris Fabricant. https://bit.ly/3LVoOKA
Tommy Lee Walker Declared Innocent 70 Years After His Execution
Dallas County Commissioners Court posthumously proclaimed Mr. Walker’s innocence in the 1954 racially-fueled capital murder case.
innocenceproject.org
January 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM
alexklein.bsky.social
My presentation is about executioners and our very nice provost will be there. This is tricky.
alexklein.bsky.social Alex Klein @alexklein.bsky.social · 22d
I have to pick a hype song for a presentation I’m giving. This is far more difficult than I thought it would be.
January 21, 2026 at 1:38 PM
alexklein.bsky.social
I have to pick a hype song for a presentation I’m giving. This is far more difficult than I thought it would be.
January 21, 2026 at 12:57 PM
Reposted by Alex Klein
mjsdc.bsky.social
Justice Jackson takes an interesting stand today. SCOTUS often waives the filing fees for indigent parties—but refuses to do so after they file multiple "frivolous" petitions. Jackson says that's unfair and dissents from the practice moving forward. www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
JUSTICE JACKSON, dissenting from denial of motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis. To file a petition in this Court, litigants must pay a $300 fee, along with the (much higher) cost of printing 40 bound copies of their filing. Litigants who cannot afford the filing fee and the cost of printing can request to proceed in forma pauperis. The Court largely grants these requests, allowing those litigants to file for free, but our openness to indigent litigants has its limits. In fact, the Court sometimes imposes blanket filing bars that prohibit litigants from filing any more in forma pauperis petitions in noncriminal matters going forward, regardless of the merits of their claims. I believe that when balancing prisoners’ access to judicial review, on the one hand, and reducing our administrative burden, on the other, we should err on the side of keeping our courthouse doors open. For a system designed to administer justice, reflexively rejecting (potentially meritorious) petitions from incarcerated litigants has a cost that is much too high when compared to the (meager) administrative efficiency gains. Nor should we forget the role that indigent incarcerated litigants have played in the development of important constitutional doctrines—and through habeas proceedings no less. See, e.g., Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U. S. 335 (1963); see also Sindram, 498 U. S., at 181 (Marshall, J., dissenting). Accordingly, I would not apply the filing bar that the Court imposes for frequent “frivolous” filers to prisoners who, like Howell, seek to proceed in forma pauperis.
January 20, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Alex Klein
dnazarian.bsky.social
Law students interested in summer internships: our Chambers's application window for Summer 2026 internships opens on Monday, January 26! Application requirements and other details are in the document linked below; reach out if you have questions. 1/2

www.courts.state.md.us/sites/defaul...
www.courts.state.md.us
January 18, 2026 at 5:44 PM
alexklein.bsky.social
Tommy has a new bed that perfectly fits what my son describes as Tommy’s “dumpling mode.”
January 17, 2026 at 11:44 PM
Reposted by Alex Klein
orinkerr.bsky.social
BIG IN THE 4A WORLD: The Supreme Court has granted cert in Chatrie, the geofence warrant case, to decide the following Q: "Whether the execution of the geofence warrant violated the Fourth Amendment." (I assume this includes both whether a "search" happened and whether the warrant was lawful.)
January 16, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Reposted by Alex Klein
taniel.bsky.social
JUST IN: Virginia's legislature just adopted a constitutional amendment that would end Virginia's rules that ban people from voting for life.

Virginia currently is the only state that strips people of voting rights for life for any felony. Youngkin rolled back reforms.

Now going to a referendum.
Virginia Lawmakers Ask Voters to Repeal a Jim Crow-Era Lifetime Ban on Voting - Bolts
Voters will decide this year whether to end Virginia’s uniquely harsh felony disenfranchisement rules. They'll also vote on abortion, gay marriage, and redistricting.
boltsmag.org
January 16, 2026 at 6:21 PM
alexklein.bsky.social
My first class of the semester is today and my dog got skunked this morning. I wasn't there for the direct hit, but I had to walk through the zone to get to my car. What a way to start the semester...
January 14, 2026 at 1:03 PM
alexklein.bsky.social
W&L Law is hosting a writing retreat! Details in my colleague's post below. This year's retreat will focus on private law topics. Submissions are due by March 15.
catsncakes.bsky.social Kish Parella @catsncakes.bsky.social · Jan 13
Call for Submissions!!

W&L Law’s Blue Mountain Writing Retreat!!

Pls see below
January 13, 2026 at 7:46 PM
Reposted by Alex Klein
cifsjustice.org
How Missouri Denied Condemned Men Spiritual Advisers at Their Deaths

www.themarshallproject.org/2026/01/08/s...
How Have States Handled Spiritual Advisers in the Execution Chamber?
“We’re talking about constitutional rights in someone’s dying moments,” one advocate said.
www.themarshallproject.org
January 8, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Reposted by Alex Klein
kirchmeier.bsky.social
Maricopa County prosecutors have frequently pursued the death penalty, but just 13% of cases ended in a death sentence, ProPublica and ABC15 Arizona found. Experts say the numbers raise questions about the office’s decision-making. www.propublica.org/article/mari...
Arizona Judges Launch Effort Seeking Quicker Resolutions to Death Penalty Cases
Maricopa County prosecutors have frequently pursued the death penalty, but just 13% of cases ended in a death sentence, ProPublica and ABC15 Arizona found. Experts say the numbers raise questions abou...
www.propublica.org
January 6, 2026 at 6:26 PM
alexklein.bsky.social
Why wouldn’t you want a 66lb dog lying on top of you?
December 20, 2025 at 10:15 PM
alexklein.bsky.social
Tonight’s dinner. It’s really good.
Dark and Stormy–Braised Pot Roast
Comforting slow-braised pot roast makes a flavor 180 by enlisting all the bright, spiced flavors of the classic ginger-rum cocktail.
epicurious.com
December 15, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Reposted by Alex Klein
dmoritzrabson.bsky.social
New from me for @theintercept.com: As public support for the death penalty fell to the lowest level in 50 years, the US is poised to execute 48 people in 2025 -- the highest amount in 15 years. FL drove the surge in executions. I wrote about @deathpenaltyinfo.org's report, which was released today.
Despite Declining Support for the Death Penalty, Executions Nearly Doubled in 2025, Report Says
Fewer Americans support capital punishment. Fewer courts are handing out death sentences. And we’ve got way more executions in 2025.
theintercept.com
December 15, 2025 at 5:08 PM
alexklein.bsky.social
The VA ABC store is really going all in on the raccoon incident.
A sign at a Virginia ABC Store listing the raccoon’s recommendations for alcohol.
December 13, 2025 at 4:55 PM
alexklein.bsky.social
Rory is 13 today. She’s slowed down on the stairs, but can still tear around the yard. We love her so much.
December 12, 2025 at 11:50 AM