New Jersey’s legislature may soon be the first in the country to repeal a death penalty law. While courts in other states have struck death penalty statutes, this would be the first time a legislative body eliminated executions since the Supreme Court reinstated them 31 years ago.
New Jersey has the death penalty, but the state hasn’t actually executed anyone since 1963.
Surely they mean the first state to repeal a death penalty law since it was declared constitutional 30 years ago. But then again, it’s NPR. They might not know any history older than their broadcasts.
Maybe, if they outlaw the execution of viscious, bloodthirsty murderers, they could also outlaw the execution of innocent children in the womb.
I doubt it. The problem with capital punishment, as I see it, is that the state makes mistakes, and once a wrongfully convicted person is executed, you can’t give him his life back.
and with modern forensic evidence mistakes can be proven.
They need to set up road-blocks at the border, and check the trunks of all cars, because New York Mafiosi will be driving over to “Joisey” to whack their victims there.
Re #5
Actually, New York state never reinstituted the death penalty after it was declared constitutional. No need to drive to Jersey after all.
Re 6
David,
Actually New York did reinstate the Death Penalty immediately after the election of George Pataki as governor. It remained on the books for about ten years and devoured over $100M in tax payers money. No one was executed and eventually the state’s highest court rules the law unconstitutional on a technicality. The state legislature wisely declined to make any changes in an effort to revive the DP thus allowing it to die.