The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Kentucky’s use of lethal injections for executions, clearing the way for a number of states to proceed with scheduled executions.
In a 7-2 decision, the justices rejected a constitutional challenge to the procedures in place in Kentucky, which uses three drugs to sedate, paralyze and kill inmates.
“We … agree that petitioners have not carried their burden of showing that the risk of pain from maladministration of a concededly humane lethal injection protocol, and the failure to adopt untried and untested alternatives, constitute cruel and unusual punishment,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote.
As a judge, I have been watching this case since our court has cases in which this issue has been raised. The death penalty opponents were against lethal injection because they thought that it would be upheld as constitutional whereas the electric chair would not.
As a citizen who has had some experience with the legal system…….having served as a juror seven times and rendered a “Guilty” verdict in a lengthy capital murder trial in California…….I swore that never again would I ever vote for the death penalty.
If I am ever again called upon to serve on a jury in another capital murder case, I will refuse.
The death penalty solves absolutely nothing.