Exceeding the limits of decency: The legal proceedings
Execution proceedings
On January 21, 2004, the State Attorney General’s office asked the Tennessee Supreme Court to schedule the execution of Gregory Thompson. This action is deeply disturbing because the state continues to admit Greg Thompson is severely mentally ill.
In fact, the same person -- Attorney General Paul Summers -- who requested the execution date, had just three years before, requested that a court appoint a conservator to Greg Thompson because his mental illness rendered him incompetent and a danger to himself and others.
Paul Summers not only sought a conservator for the supposed “protection and assistance” of Greg Thompson, he sought permission to forcibly medicate Greg on the basis that he “is incapable of making rational decisions.”
The request for a conservator and forced medication basically said that Greg is so mentally ill he can’t even decide for himself whether or not he needs to take an aspirin. That the state is now seeking to execute Greg is inhumane, uncivilized, and hypocritical.
The reasons Greg’s legal team fought to remove the conservatorship were proven justified when the state sought an execution date. The state was not seeking a conservator for Greg’s best interests; instead, they were seeking to insure that Greg could be forcibly medicated to make him chemically competent to be executed.
On February 25, 2004, the Tennessee Supreme Court scheduled the execution of Greg Thompson for August 19, 2004, and sent the case back to the trial court for a determination of Greg’s current mental state.
On March 31, 2004, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued a letter requesting precautionary measures and asked the United States of America to preserve Greg Thompson's life while they conduct an investigation of the allegations that he is mentally ill and that there were irregularities in his criminal proceedings.
Exceeding The Limits Of Decency: The Legal Proceedings
- Overview
- Trial proceedings
- State court appeals
- Conservatorship proceedings
- Execution proceedings
- Competency proceedings
Supporters
International Justice Project
National Mental Health Association
Tennessee Black Caucus
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