Jordan M Steiker’s faculty profile
The Texas Tribune April 24, 2026
Two years after a judge recommended her murder conviction be tossed, Melissa Lucio still waits for freedom
Professor Jordan Steiker explains that the two-year wait for the appeals case for death row inmate Melissa Lucio is unusual but not unprecedented, and points out factors that can delay rulings of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Dallas Morning News May 29, 2025
‘Here’s your Death Penalty,’ Abbott says of Grapevine hit-and-run case. Is that possible?
Professor Jordan Steiker comments on the likelihood that the driver in a fatal hit-and-run jet-ski crash will face a capital murder charge, explaining that aggravating factors must be present.
The Texas Tribune April 15, 2024
State district judge recommends overturning Melissa Lucio’s death sentence
Professor Jordan Steiker comments on the rarity of district attorney offices acknowledging an error in court after a determination of prosecutorial misconduct in the Melissa Lucio trial.
The New York Times March 11, 2024
In Death Penalty Cases, a Texas Court Tests the Supreme Court’s Patience
Professor Jordan Steiker comments that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has a history of treating Supreme Court opinions as optional guideposts rather than commands of a higher tribunal.