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Texas Execution Set as Supreme Court Reviews Rap-Lyric Evidence

4/26/2026

24 2 Full Breakdown

Summary

Broadnax Execution

James Broadnax is scheduled for execution in Texas on April 30, 2026, with the U.S. Supreme Court hearing petitions on April 24, 2026.
Demarius Cummings, James Broadnax’s cousin serving life, submitted a statement claiming he was the shooter.
James Broadnax’s attorneys filed Supreme Court petitions challenging rap-lyric evidence and alleging jury-selection bias.
Rappers Travis Scott, Killer Mike, T.I., Young Thug and Fat Joe filed briefs asserting rap lyrics are protected speech.
Families reaffirmed support for the execution while a clemency petition remains pending.

Summary

Broadnax Seeks Clemency

Lucy Adams and Moira Fett recorded a clemency video with Broadnax’s testimony.
Broadnax mentors inmates in poetry, is called a model prisoner, and is engaged.
In June 2008, Broadnax and Cummings, high on PCP-laced weed, killed two producers in Garland.
Forensic testing found only Cummings’ DNA on the gun and one victim’s body.
Prosecutors showed 40 pages of Broadnax’s rap lyrics to a white jury, while his song “Redemption” expresses remorse.

History

Historical Context

In 1994 President Bill Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, adding about 60 new federal death-penalty offenses and allocating $9.7 billion for new prison facilities. That tough-on-crime framework resurfaces as Texas prosecutors present 40 pages of rapper James Broadnax’s lyrics to a capital-case jury. The ACLU now contests this use of artistic expression as evidence.

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Broadnax Execution

James Broadnax is scheduled for execution in Texas on April 30, 2026, with the U.S. Supreme Court hearing petitions on April 24, 2026.
Demarius Cummings, James Broadnax’s cousin serving life, submitted a statement claiming he was the shooter.
James Broadnax’s attorneys filed Supreme Court petitions challenging rap-lyric evidence and alleging jury-selection bias.
Rappers Travis Scott, Killer Mike, T.I., Young Thug and Fat Joe filed briefs asserting rap lyrics are protected speech.
Families reaffirmed support for the execution while a clemency petition remains pending.

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