While we’re on the subject . . . .
January 9, 2023
“The death penalty is beyond redemption. It is unfair and unfixable, and it turns states into killers in the name of vengeance against killers,” the
“The death penalty is beyond redemption. It is unfair and unfixable, and it turns states into killers in the name of vengeance against killers,” the
“2022 can be called ‘the year of the botched execution,’” the Death Penalty Information Center stated in its annual report on capital punishment in the
After Alabama corrections officials botched their third execution in four months on November 17, Gov. Kay Ivey called a hiatus, saying it wasn’t the fault
Missouri killed Kevin Johnson on Tuesday evening. He was sentenced to death for killing Kirkwood police officer Sgt. William McEntee in 2005, a crime he
A judge’s order late last month means a man on Tennessee’s death row, who slit his wrists before severing his penis in early October, will
In one week, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals denied two petitions filed by Richard Glossip for an evidentiary hearing to consider new evidence of
In a bizarrely-worded statement, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey called for a temporary halt to executions last week. She announced the decision after corrections officials botched
“What has happened to Mr. Hastings is a terrible injustice,” Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said at a news conference announcing Maurice Hastings’ release
In Texas, Tracy Beatty was killed early last month despite valid questions about whether his crime qualified for the death penalty. Beatty was found guilty
President Joseph Biden is the first occupant of the Oval Office in American history to openly and publicly oppose the death penalty and advocate its abolition. What will he do to translate his policy into action. Read Here
A House bill seeking abolish the death penalty in Virginia was introduced by lawmakers in the General Assembly. Backed by Governor Northam, the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary five days ago. Today, Martin Luther King Day, the committee passed Senate Bill 1165 bill by a margin of 10-4. Read Here
Justice Sotomayor offered a fierce dissent before the Trump Administration carried out its 13th Federal Execution since July. Read Here
Early Saturday the Trump administration executed Dusting Higgs. Mr. Higgs was convicted and condemned for killing three women in 1996. With a sworn affidavit by the actual shooter, Mr. Higgs had a strong case as to why he should be spared. The actual shooter was sentenced to life in prison. Mr. Higgs case was reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Once again, SCOTUS did not dig in to the facts.
“We need to do everything in our power to root out white supremacy in all its forms, and that includes ending the death penalty for good. President Biden can do this with the stroke of a pen.” – Representative Cori Bush Watch Now
This week, Donald Trump sanctioned the execution of the only woman on federal death row: Lisa Montgomery. She was the 11th prisoner to be killed since the president restarted federal executions in July 2020. Listen to a report by Ed Pilkington, Chief Reporter for the Guardian. Read Here
Trump’s increase in federal executions exposes the racism, classism, inability to deter crime, and high cost of capital punishment. Read Here
Lisa Montgomery’s first experiences of sexual abuse occurred indirectly when she was three years old. She would lie in bed at night beside her beloved half-sister Diane, close enough to touch, while Diane, then eight, was being raped by their male babysitter. Read Here
“The idea of execution promises catharsis. The reality of it delivers the opposite, a nauseating sense of shame.” Read Elizabeth Bruenig’s Op-ed in the New York Times about witnessing the execution of Alfred Bourgeois. The Man I Saw Them Kill. Read Here