This is a big deal for Troy Davis, but also for all death penalty cases. He exhausted all his normal appeals, but the supreme courts ordered a federal judge allow Davis to make the cause that he is indeed innocent. Its a high hurdle to clear, but its possible. Both sides have already made the case to include new evidence. A pair of bloody shorts may figure prominently.
Here's the wiki page on the case:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Davis_caseTroy Davis heads back to court in Savannah
Federal judge to find whether evidence 'clearly establishes' Davis' innocence
By Jan Skutch
Troy Anthony Davis today returns to a Savannah courtroom to try to disprove his 1991 murder conviction.
U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. will take testimony - without opening statements - to determine whether Davis' defense team can "clearly establish" his innocence in the Aug. 19, 1989, slaying of off-duty Savannah police officer Mark Allen MacPhail.
Attorneys for Davis, 41, contend the state and federal appellate reviews have focused on "technicalities" while depriving him of a hearing on evidence not available at the first trial that would have led to a different verdict.
Attorneys with the state attorney general's office contend the evidence simply rehashes that already dismissed by earlier court reviews.
....more at link
http://savannahnow.com/troy-davis/2010-06-23/troy-davis-heads-back-court-savannah Bloodied shorts among Davis hearing evidence
Troy Davis, Mark MacPhail families gear up for hearing
By Jan Skutch
Physical evidence prosecutors were barred from presenting at Troy Anthony Davis' 1991 murder trial will be allowed this week before a federal judge hearing defense claims of innocence.
U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr.'s ruling allowing the state to use two Georgia Bureau of Investigation reports on a pair of blood-stained black shorts seized from Davis' mother's home comes days before he is to begin hearings Wednesday to allow Davis' lawyers to try and show that evidence not available at his 1991 trial would have convinced a jury to acquit him.
Moore must find that new defense evidence "clearly establishes (Davis') innocence." The hearing, mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court last summer, requires that Davis prove his innocence, a reversal of the standard defendant's presumption of innocence.
....
After months of wrangling over evidence and legal issues, attorneys for the state's attorney general's office last week asked permission to submit Georgia Bureau of Investigation reports concerning "blood examination on pair of black shorts recovered from (Davis') mother's home on Aug. 19, 1989." They also asked to submit a report of DNA typing of the item.
....more at link:
http://savannahnow.com/troy-davis/2010-06-22/bloodied-shorts-among-davis-hearing-evidenceTroy Davis family, supporters call for justice
Posted: June 23, 2010 - 3:18am
By Jan Skutch
The battle for Troy Anthony Davis' life has come a long way but is not over yet, his sister told a church audience Tuesday evening.
"We have to stop killing people because we create victims on both sides," Martina Correia told a group of family, friends and supporters at the New Life Apostolic Temple on West Bay Street.
"We're optimistic. We're prayerful because we believe in a higher power." She has championed her brother's innocence since his conviction in 1991 for the slaying of Savannah police officer Mark Allen MacPhail.
Correia and many of those attending wore blue and white T-shirts that read "I am Troy Davis" on the front, with the Amnesty International USA logo on the back. Blue and yellow signs for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People were displayed at the front of the church.
....more at link:
http://savannahnow.com/troy-davis/2010-06-23/troy-davis-family-supporters-call-justice 
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