NEW YORK–Socks is dead - as in, Socks the cat. You probably heard the news last week. But for me, it is just sinking in. Socks was Chelsea Clinton's cat and though not the first to live in the White House, Socks was no doubt the most famous presidential cat ever.

Jami Floyd holding Socks the cat

So what can you say about a cat? Well a whole lot, actually. You see, I knew Socks.

I took this photo with Socks in the White House back in 1994. That was fifteen years ago. So Socks lived a good long time. He was about 18 years old when he died. And while he was the presidential cat, Socks was a companion to Chelsea, an only child, which is a lonely thing to be in the White House.  Watch Jami Floyd's comments on Socks the cat.

He also became a symbol of privacy versus media in the Clinton era when photographers got a little aggressive as he took a walk on the White House lawn. Socks even inspired a fan club and his own Wikipedia page.

Towards the end of the Clinton era however, Bill got a new puppy and the tuxedo cat (as his breed is called) took it hard. Socks waged war and by most accounts, Socks won the war. But, when the Clintons left the White House, Socks went to live with Bill Clinton's secretary and longtime Clinton friend, Betty Currie, as Chelsea went off to college.

Many people criticized the Clintons for letting their cat go. But those of us who knew Socks knew that cat loved Betty. I saw him more than once curled up on the blue chair, right next to Betty, outside the Oval.

To staffers, Socks was more like a dog than a cat, taking on Buddy, taking walks. Last week Betty took Socks for one last walk; and then he was put to sleep. Betty, Chelsea and the Clintons are lucky to have memories of their wonderful pet, as are we all.

–Jami Floyd, In Session anchor

BARTOW, Florida–After nearly 11 hours of deliberations over two days, the nine women and three men of the jury have arrived at a decision here: Joseph Bearden is guilty of the second-degree murder of Ryan Skipper, a gay student. As a result, Bearden has already been sentenced to life in prison.

Joseph Bearden reacts after being found guilty of second-degree murder

But because the jurors declined to convict Bearden of the top count of first-degree murder, they were able to avoid the subsequent question of whether he should be executed for his crime.

In addition to Bearden’s conviction for second-degree murder, jurors also found the defendant guilty of theft of a motor vehicle, accessory after the fact to robbery with a weapon, tampering with evidence, and dealing in stolen property. He will have to serve a minimum of 25 years in prison before he becomes eligible for parole on these charges.

William Brown, Jr. – Bearden’s co-defendant in the Skipper murder – is expected to be tried separately later this year.

In Session will have more live coverage of the verdict and sentencing in this case Monday with correspondent Jean Casarez from Bartow.

–In Session staff

NEW YORK–The jurors in the Joseph Bearden trial will start their second day of deliberations this morning, to determine if Joseph Bearden is guilty of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of 25-year-old Ryan Skipper in March 2007.

Joseph Bearden

Jurors retired for the day late Thursday afternoon without arriving at a decision. The nine women and three men on the jury deliberated for over six hours before stopping.

If Bearden is ultimately convicted of first-degree murder, the same jurors would then have to decide if he should be put to death or spend the rest of his life in prison.

Stay tuned to live reports from In Session correspondent Jean Casarez as we wait for a verdict in this case.

–In Session staff

NEW YORK–Black History Month 2009 ends this week, after an incredible year of triumph. Barack Obama became the nation’s first African-American president (200 years after the birth of the president who freed the slaves); and he's brought with him to Washington the first African-American attorney general to head the Department of Justice, long charged with securing the civil rights of black folk, but never before under the leadership of one.

Inside the White House, black women are serving in key positions. Of course, there is the first lady, but there others as well, including a senior advisor to the president and the social secretary, an office steeped in tradition.

Even before this, there have been signs of great progress. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell before that, and countless others in public and private life fulfilling Dr. King's dream. Even the Republican Party is reaching out to black folks; Michael Steele has become chairman of the Republican National Committee.

But the dream is not yet fulfilled.

We live in a country that is warehousing African-Americans in prison; by some estimates as many as 200,000 young black men are behind bars. We still have lynchings in this country. We have schools that are still segregated despite laws that require they not be, schools that are so poorly funded we end up leaving generations of black children behind. Change comes; but it comes slowly.

So, while we celebrate the accomplishments of black folk, we must continue also to speak honestly about the challenges that remain. We have come a long way. But we still have a long way to go.

–Jami Floyd, In Session anchor

BARTOW, Florida–Both sides have now rested in the first-degree murder trial of Joseph Bearden, the 23-year-old man charged with the vicious stabbing death of 25-year-old Ryan Skipper. Jurors here heard closings arguments from the prosecution and defense Wednesday – and so, this morning, after they receive instructions from the trial judge, the panel will begin to determine whether to convict Bearden of charges that could ultimately result in his execution.

Earlier in the day, the defense called two final witnesses to the stand; the defense, however, presented no rebuttal testimony. Despite the fact that his attorneys had previously indicated the defendant would likely testify in his own behalf, Joseph Bearden ultimately declined the opportunity to do so.

The jurors should begin their deliberations at approximately 10:00 a.m. Stay tuned to In Session as we wait for the verdict in this case.

–In Session staff

NEW YORK - A new report from the National Academy of Sciences finds that so-called forensic science needs a big fat overhaul. According to some of the country's top doctors, engineers and researchers, the evidence we've used to convict the 1.6 million Americans currently in prison is unreliable, at best.

Crime lab

•Fingerprint analysis •shoeprint evidence •blood spatter •toxicology •drug testing •handwriting samples •tool marks •bite marks •hair sampling

And that's the short list. The full list is too long for this post. Suffice it to say, the techniques employed to catch and convict criminals cannot be trusted.

Forget what you've seen on CSI; that's fiction. Here are the facts: What we call forensic "science" is not science. It was not developed by scientists in lab coats with test tubes and lots of letters after their names. The practice of forensics developed in the context of law enforcement. There is an inherent bias. And it has never been subject to the kind of peer review and scientific rigor to which real scientists must adhere.

Of course there are lots of talented and dedicated people in the forensic science community, but they are under funded and under pressure to convict. And inconsistent practices in federal, state, and local agencies plague the profession as a whole. The quality of forensic science varies too greatly for a system that is ultimately about life, liberty and sometimes even death.

What we need is a new and independent entity, with no ties to the past dysfunctions of the forensic science community, and with the authority and resources to implement a fresh agenda designed to prevent the miscarriage of justice. A National Institute of Forensic Science. Justice requires nothing less.

-Jami Floyd, In Session anchor

BARTOW, Florida–Tuesday was a day of stunning developments in the Joseph Bearden murder trial. One witness took the stand with striking testimony that implicated another man in the March 2007 murder of 25-year-old Ryan Skipper – only at this point in time, it’s uncertain whether the jurors will ever hear her compelling story. Then the Court received the surprising news that a viewer watching the trial on television had some potential evidence that could crack the case wide open.

Joseph Bearden walks into court

Angela Tyler told the court that Ray Allen Brown – the cousin of co-defendant William Brown, Jr., who will be tried separately at a later date – confessed to her that he had been present when his cousin stabbed Ryan Skipper. Although he claimed he did not actually participate in the stabbing, Ray Allen Brown allegedly told Tyler that he helped his cousin because they were family.

As of yet, Tyler has told her story only out of the presence of the jury; some legal hurdles may prevent the jurors from hearing that testimony.

Toward the end of the afternoon, the court was contacted by a man who claimed he may have some knowledge of the murder weapon used to kill Ryan Skipper – a knife that was never recovered. Jeff Mann says that around the time of the murder he saw defendant William Brown’s father disposing of a knife in a tree and Brown allegedly told Mann that he needed to get rid of the weapon.

After viewing the trial this week on television, Mann went out to the tree and found the knife in question. It has subsequently been taken into evidence by crime scene technicians of the Polk County Sherriff’s Office.

Stay tuned to In Session for live courtroom action and the latest developments.

–In Session staff

NEW YORK–Her name was Estelle Bennett, but I always knew her as the prettiest Ronette. The Ronettes were, by most accounts, the first mega-hit girl band. Estelle dated 1960s rock icons like George Harrison and Mick Jagger. Estelle, together with her sister Ronnie and their cousin Nedra, redefined femininity. And then they faded away.

Estelle Bennett of The Ronettes at the 22nd annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony March 12, 2007

But last year, a new generation learned all about the Ronettes during the Phil Spector murder trial. Spector was accused of murdering actress Lana Clarkson. His trial ended with a hung jury and a second trial is underway right now in Los Angeles.

Estelle knew Phil Spector well. He made the Ronettes famous and famously married (and divorced) her sister Ronnie. But Estelle will never know the outcome of his case. She died earlier this month at the age of 67.

I was born a year after the Ronettes hit the charts; but they became part of my early consciousness as strong women, who were beautiful too - and because they shared what was then an unusual racial mix: Black, American Indian and Anglo, just like me. They made it okay to be multiracial at a time when it really wasn't.

When Phil Spector took them to No. 2 on the charts with "Be My Baby," the Ronettes became instant stars. But even then, there were signs of trouble. Estelle struggled with anorexia and depression. And between the fairytale beginning and the premature end of life is a story of addiction, mental illness and even homelessness.

But for me Estelle Bennett will always be the prettiest Ronette.

–Jami Floyd, In Session anchor

BARTOW, Florida–Joseph Bearden's defense team is at work in this Florida courtroom, as their client faces the death penalty for killing Ryan Skipper, a 25-year-old gay student. In a strange twist of fate, the man called as the first defense witness is the same person prosecutor's originally intended to call as their last witness.

William Brown Jr. swears in before taking the witness stand

But at the moment of truth, co-defendant William Brown Jr. asserted his Fifth Amendment right not to testify and left the courtroom.  He's scheduled to be tried separately in this case later this year.

On Monday, Ray Allen Brown – the first cousin of co-defendant William Brown, Jr. – told the court that he saw his cousin and Bearden leaving together with the victim in Skipper’s car shortly before the murder. But this witness has some major credibility problems – including the fact that he himself was originally a suspect in the case.

Will his testimony be enough to convince jurors to now convict Bearden of the same crime – especially since Bearden would then face the possibility of the death penalty?

Also on Monday, the state of Florida rested their case after calling 26 witnesses.

–In Session staff

NEW YORK - Apparently an arrest is imminent in the Chandra Levy case. The 24 year old had just completed an internship with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons when she went missing in May 2001 in Washington, D.C.

After her relationship with then-Congressman Gary Condit was revealed, Condit was all but convicted by the talking heads on the 24/7 cable news outlets and in the mainstream media too. Most appalling were the legal pundits, some of them lawyers, who seemed never to have learned about the presumption of innocence in law school.

Condit was never a suspect, but the misplaced spotlight ruined his career. More importantly, it distracted the rest of us from the truth.

Now, eight years later, prosecutors are finally planning to make an arrest in the case. The new suspect was convicted of attacking two women joggers in Rock Creek Park around the same time as the Levy murder and is now serving 10 years in prison. But he has previously denied any involvement in the Levy murder and he deserves the same presumption of innocence Gary Condit was denied.

Even more than for Mr. Condit, I feel for Chandra Levy's family. For them, justice has been corrupted, convoluted and, for too long, denied.

-Jami Floyd, In Session anchor