Death Row

The United States is one of the few Western nations that still conducts capital punishment, though some states have abolished it. As of 2025, the death penalty is legal in 27 states, with four states (California, Oregon, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) currently having a pause on executions due to Executive Actions taken by these states’ governors during their administrations.

In the text, Talia states that, “technically, I get unlimited appeals on death row” (15). In reality, the appeals process for death row cases is not meant to be infinite, with time restrictions placed on the appellate process. There is a distinction between federal and state death row cases, as well. In Talia’s case, she is most likely exploring the appeals process through the State’s Post-Conviction appellate courts, in which her lawyer files a petition with the original judge, intermediate courts, and finally the state’s highest court, should the appeal progress to that point. Thus, while McFadden is correct in stating that there is no limit to death penalty appeals, the legal processes surrounding the appellate process do pose some limitations.

According to The Innocence Project, a non-profit that works to prevent wrongful convictions and create a more equitable justice system, at least 200 people who were wrongly convicted and sentenced to death have been exonerated since 1973 (Alyxaundria Sanford, “