A paperwork mix-up at a prestigious New York law firm might have lost an Alabama death row prisoner the right to appeal his sentence. The two hotshot lawyers representing Cory Maples for free left the firm without notifying Alabama’s courts or the prisoner. In a U.S. Supreme Court hearing about reinstating Maples’ appeal, the majority of justices blasted the state courts for blocking a death sentence appeal due to clerical errors causing a missed deadline.