The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals sided with a Haynes and Boone, LLP pro bono team and re-sentenced a 64-year-old man on death row to life in prison without parole.
Randall Mays struggled for years to fight back against his 2008 conviction for the murder of two sheriff's deputies in Henderson County, citing his intellectual disability as grounds for exemption from execution. Since August 2020, a dedicated Haynes Boone team invested over 700 hours meeting with Mays, interviewing witnesses, preparing briefs and attending hearings, working tirelessly to ensure Mr. Mays would not be executed in violation of his rights.
The Haynes Boone team included associates Julia Peebles, Dominique Baldwin, Joe Pinto, Sam Mallick, Grant Armentor, and Martha Wyrick along with firm alum and former partner Ann Al-Bahish. They collaborated extensively with attorneys and staff at the Dallas Capital Habeas Unit and the Texas Office of Capital and Forensic Writs.
“This is a momentous day for Randall Mays and a testament to the power of dedicated legal advocacy," Baldwin said. “We are incredibly grateful to the court for recognizing that executing Mr. Mays would violate his constitutional rights.”
The court's decision focused on the Eighth Amendment's restriction of cruel and unusual punishments and cited the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Atkins v. Virginia, which prohibits the execution of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The Haynes Boone defense team presented multiple neuropsychologists who shared overwhelming evidence of Mays' intellectual disability, including his 63 IQ and deficits throughout his life.
Randall Mays' case exemplifies the firm's commitment to pro bono work and the pursuit of justice for those in need. Last year alone, Haynes Boone attorneys volunteered more than 15,000 hours towards pro bono causes with a combined value of time worked totaling roughly $12 million.
About Haynes Boone
Founded in 1970, Haynes and Boone, LLP provides a full spectrum of legal services across multiple sectors, including energy, financial services, private equity and technology. The firm’s nearly 700 lawyers practice in 19 offices in California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C., as well as London, Mexico City and Shanghai. Haynes Boone was recognized in the 2022 BTI Consulting Group’s A-Team report, which identified firms commended by in-house counsel for superior client service, and it was ranked 21st in The American Lawyer’s 2023 Diversity Scorecard, which evaluated 228 participating firms by the diversity of their attorney populations. For more information, visit haynesboone.com.
Randall Mays struggled for years to fight back against his 2008 conviction for the murder of two sheriff's deputies in Henderson County, citing his intellectual disability as grounds for exemption from execution. Since August 2020, a dedicated Haynes Boone team invested over 700 hours meeting with Mays, interviewing witnesses, preparing briefs and attending hearings, working tirelessly to ensure Mr. Mays would not be executed in violation of his rights.
The Haynes Boone team included associates Julia Peebles, Dominique Baldwin, Joe Pinto, Sam Mallick, Grant Armentor, and Martha Wyrick along with firm alum and former partner Ann Al-Bahish. They collaborated extensively with attorneys and staff at the Dallas Capital Habeas Unit and the Texas Office of Capital and Forensic Writs.
“This is a momentous day for Randall Mays and a testament to the power of dedicated legal advocacy," Baldwin said. “We are incredibly grateful to the court for recognizing that executing Mr. Mays would violate his constitutional rights.”
The court's decision focused on the Eighth Amendment's restriction of cruel and unusual punishments and cited the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Atkins v. Virginia, which prohibits the execution of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The Haynes Boone defense team presented multiple neuropsychologists who shared overwhelming evidence of Mays' intellectual disability, including his 63 IQ and deficits throughout his life.
Randall Mays' case exemplifies the firm's commitment to pro bono work and the pursuit of justice for those in need. Last year alone, Haynes Boone attorneys volunteered more than 15,000 hours towards pro bono causes with a combined value of time worked totaling roughly $12 million.
About Haynes Boone
Founded in 1970, Haynes and Boone, LLP provides a full spectrum of legal services across multiple sectors, including energy, financial services, private equity and technology. The firm’s nearly 700 lawyers practice in 19 offices in California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C., as well as London, Mexico City and Shanghai. Haynes Boone was recognized in the 2022 BTI Consulting Group’s A-Team report, which identified firms commended by in-house counsel for superior client service, and it was ranked 21st in The American Lawyer’s 2023 Diversity Scorecard, which evaluated 228 participating firms by the diversity of their attorney populations. For more information, visit haynesboone.com.
