Class Information

Spring 2027

5497 Death Penalty & Criminal Appeals Clinic II - DOW/JEU/NEWBERRY- 21559

Professor(s): David Dow (FACULTY)
Cassandra Jeu (CLINICAL FACULTY)
Jeffrey Newberry (CLINICAL FACULTY)

Credits: 4

Course Areas: Practice Skills - Clinics and Externships 
Criminal Law

Time: ARRANGED     Location:  

Course Outline: Death Penalty & Criminal Appeals Clinic explores the substantive law, investigative techniques, and post-conviction appellate remedies applicable in capital (death penalty) and non-capital cases. Lectures will cover topics such as: Texas criminal statutes, state/federal habeas law, clemency proceedings, investigative techniques, and capital trial strategy. In addition to attending lectures, students work on actual cases. Students investigate claims related to the guilt-innocence and punishment aspects of death-penalty cases; and research/draft direct appeals, post-conviction appeals, and/or clemency petitions.

Although the same substantive material is covered in both Innocence Investigations and Death Penalty & Criminal Appeals Clinic, the classes differ in terms of the type of case work performed by students. Death Penalty & Criminal Appeals Clinic students work on claims related to both actual and legal innocence. Given the fact that criminal appeals have strict filing deadlines, it is vital that Death Penalty & Criminal Appeals Clinic students adhere to deadlines set by the course instructor.


NO BOOK FOR THIS COURSE.

Course Syllabus:

Course Notes:   Quota = 1

Death Penalty & Criminal Appeals Clinic and Innocence Investigations meet in the same classroom. STUDENTS CAN REGISTER FOR EITHER INNOCENCE INVESTIGATIONS OR DEATH PENALTY & CRIMINAL APPEALS CLINIC, BUT CANNOT REGISTER FOR BOTH DURING A SINGLE SEMESTER. However, students are permitted to take Innocence Investigations one semester, then Death Penalty & Criminal Appeals Clinic some subsequent semester (or vice versa) for a total of six substantive credit hours. Please direct any questions to Professor Cassandra Jeu.

Prerequisites: Yes  Completion of two semesters of law school plus completion of or current enrollment in Criminal Law and instructor permission. Students must apply to Death Penalty & Criminal Appeals Clinic by submitting the online application at:https://law.uh.edu/clinic/

First Day Assignments:

Final Exam Schedule:     

This course will have:
Exam:
Paper:

Satisfies Senior Upper Level Writing Requirement: No

Experiential Course Type: clinic

Bar Course: No

DistanceEd ABA: No

Pass-Fail Student Election: Conditional Availability (not for required credits)