Death penalty in California: State Supreme Court holds high-stakes hearing Tuesday

Elisabeth Semel quoted by The Mercury News, June 5, 2017

Today, Semel said, the average appeal spans 15 years. To resolve the cases three times as quickly, she said, will likely mean more mistakes as each case receives less attention and offenders are represented by attorneys with limited experience in capital cases. “Where is the critical mass of lawyers going to come from to do this work in an expedited time frame, and who is going to pay for it?” she asked.