In the wake of a federal judge’s criticism of federal defenders for “gaming” death-penalty cases, Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille—an outspoken critic of the defenders himself—said some of the blame in relation to prolonged death-penalty appeals had to be placed on federal jurists as well.
At the same time, defense lawyers and observers said defenders are well within the parameters of the federal habeas policies imposed upon them when they do everything possible to keep their clients off death row.
