The great debate over capital punishment
Eighth amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment
Early constitutional challenges to the death penalty
Race, gender and sexual orientation
Constitutional limitations on death eligibility
Selecting the capital jury
The role of aggravating circumstances
The role of mitigating circumstances
The sentencing phase of capital cases
Use of psychiatric experts in capital cases
Assistance of counsel
Stays of execution and state post-conviction relief proceedings
Introduction to federal habeas corpus review
State barriers to federal habeas review
Retroactivity
Presumption of correctness
Successive habeas corpus petitions, abuse of the writ, and clemency
The federal death penalty
International law and the death penalty.