Elisabeth Semel quoted in Times-Standard, March 22, 2013

Semel said whenever the prosecution in a criminal case alleges special circumstances—unless he or she says specifically that they are not seeking the death penalty—it becomes a capital-eligible case. “It is critical that the defense lawyer at that point begins thinking about and investigating the case from that perspective,” she said.

Elisabeth Semel quoted in KGO-TV, March 4, 2013

“I think it’s hard for the public to grasp this,” UC Berkeley Death Penalty Clinic Director Elisabeth Semel said. “People who’ve been convicted of murder have a better rate of success, that is, a lower recidivism rate, than individuals who commit other types of crimes.”

Elisabeth Semel quoted in San Jose Mercury News, January 20, 2013

“At some point,” said Elisabeth Semel, head of UC Berkeley law school’s death penalty clinic, “if all of those (legal challenges) fail, we have to face the prospect of executions.”

Elisabeth Semel interviewed by CalTV, October 27, 2012

“If you look at those four thousand people serving the sentence of life without possibility of parole, and you compare them to the 725 people on death row, what you will find is people convicted of the same crimes…. What we see in California is that crime rises and crime falls for various reasons having to do with the economy and all sorts of other considerations, but the amount of violent crime is not traceable to whether we have a deathpenalty or don’t.”

Elisabeth Semel quoted in San Jose Mercury News, August 18, 2012

“Prosecutors are increasingly willing to use the punishment of life without the possibility of parole and recognize that it is more acceptable to the general public,” said Elisabeth Semel, a professor of law at UC Berkeley Law School. “The decreasing popularity of the death penalty … has an influence in the decision.”

Elisabeth Semel quoted in Oakland Tribune, August 13, 2012

“Prosecutors are increasingly willing to use the punishment of life without the possibility of parole and recognize that it is more acceptable to the general public,” said Elisabeth Semel, professor of law at Berkeley Law School. “The decreasing popularity of the death penalty … has an influence in the decision.”

Elisabeth Semel quoted in Clear Admit, June 8, 2012

Clinic Director Elisabeth Semel spoke to the fact that many of the clinic graduates are currently pursuing work in the public sector. She stated: “We must never forget that we are able to represent our clients because our families provided opportunities for us that our clients never had,” she said.

Elisabeth Semel writes for Daily Journal, June 5, 2012 (registration required)

There is thus great irony in the interest groups that promoted the expansive and multi-pronged criminal justice initiatives in 1982, 1992 and 2002, arguing that the far more limited SAFE California initiative violates the “single subject” rule. They championed and own the broadest and most accommodating interpretation of the “single subject” rule in the area of criminal justice. Now they want to avoid the consequences of their legal handiwork.

Elisabeth Semel quoted in Daily Journal, May 2, 2012 (registration required)

Elisabeth A. Semel watched from the gallery. She is director of the Death Penalty Clinic at UC Berkeley School of Law. She said Reno’s case is not unique. “It’s representative of dozens of other petitions filed in cases where lawyers have been directed by federal courts to exhaust their claims in state court,” she said.

The Recorder, January 10, 2012 by Cheryl Miller
http://www.law.com/jsp/ca/index.jsp (registration required)

Elisabeth Semel, director of the Death Penalty Clinic at UC-Berkeley School of Law, said Hersek was “very well-respected and well-liked,” and has “brought a certain sense of coherence and consistency and collegiality to that office.”