Democracy Now! April 12, 2012

April 12, 2012 from Democracy Now! via Creative Commons License BY-NC-ND

George Zimmerman is finally charged with second-degree murder, 45 days after killing Trayvon Martin and sparking national outcry. Connecticut is poised to repeal the death penalty as momentum grows for a Supreme Court challenge. Outrage over "Stand Your Ground" laws after Trayvon Martin killing has sparked an exodus of corporate sponsors from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a corporate-funded group that worked with the National Rifle Association to pass similar measures across the country. And a grand jury has met to consider whether charges should be filed in the Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. case, as an autopsy casts further doubt on police claims. Plus headlines and more.

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In This Video

Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin was an African American teenager who was shot and killed by 28-year-old George Zimmerman on February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman told police he shot Martin in self defense and was not arrested or charged with a crime. The case has sparked numerous p... Explore this topic

Kenneth Chamberlain

Kenneth Chamberlain was a former US Marine and retired corrections officer who was killed at his home by police officers responding after Chamberlain's emergency medical alert device went off accidentally. Explore this topic

Stand your ground

In the United States of America, stand-your-ground law states that a person may justifiably use force in self-defense when there is reasonable belief of an unlawful threat, without an obligation to retreat first. The concept sometimes exists in statutory law and sometimes thro... Explore this topic

National Rifle Association (NRA)

Die National Rifle Association of America, auch kurz National Rifle Association wurde 1871 in den USA als Organisation für das Sportschießen und Training an Schusswaffen gegründet. Sie entwickelte sich bis 1977 zur Waffen-Lobby, die als eine der größten Interessengruppen zahlr... Explore this topic

Connecticut

Connecticut is the southernmost U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and the south. Connecticut is named after the Connecticut River, a major U.S... Explore this topic

Grand jury

A grand jury is an arm of the court that is empowered to conduct official proceedings to investigate potential criminal conduct and to determine whether criminal charges should be brought. The "grand jury" may compel the production of documents and may compel the sworn testimo... Explore this topic

Capital punishment

Capital punishment or the death penalty is a legal process whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. The judicial decree that someone be punished in this manner is a death sentence, while the actual process of killing the person is an execution... Explore this topic

Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all federal courts and over state court cases involving issues of federal law, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases. The Court, which ... Explore this topic

American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)

The American Legislative Exchange Council is a 501 American organization composed of legislators, businesses and foundations which produces model legislation for state legislatures and says it promotes free-market and conservative ideas. According to the organization's website... Explore this topic

Murder

Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide. As the loss of a human being inflicts enormous grief upon the individuals close to the victim, and the commi... Explore this topic

Also See

Shooting of Trayvon Martin

Stand your ground

George Zimmerman

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