Post by DPisBS on Sept 29, 2007 14:43:30 GMT -5
Death penalty on hold in Texas
10:19 AM CDT on Saturday, September 29, 2007
By Jeremy Desel KHOU NEWS
Thursday night, it was breaking news. But, it could change the scope of executions in Texas for a long time.
The U.S. Supreme Court stopped the execution of a Dallas man who killed his parents.
Now, it's possible all Texas executions could be suspended.
"I was ecstatic about it. Whenever an execution is called off even if it is at midnight we are happy about it,” said death penalty opponent David Atwood.
Nearly every condemned inmate, for the last several years, has included in his or her final appeal an argument that the method of lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment.
Only Carlton Turner’s resulted in a stay.
That, only because the Supreme Court decided this week to hear the appeal of a Kentucky case challenging lethal injection.
This is the first time that the Supreme Court has taken up a full review of that process. It could have far-reaching impacts.
"Many of us believe that is why Texas and the other 35 states that do lethal injection should probably shut it down and wait to see what the court says,” said 11 News legal expert Gerald Treece.
That would be a significant victory where there have been precious few for those who want to abolish the death penalty.
A real moratorium exactly what some think the governor should do.
But it may not lead to an unconstitutional finding for lethal injection.
"You have a conservative block on that court that may have granted review just to say, ‘No it is not,’” said Treece. Or to expand (it) even further, in this professor’s opinion when the death penalty is appropriate."
Still anytime the death chamber stays vacant, some think is a win.
"Here in Texas where we have all these executions. Anything that will stop an execution or a series of executions is like a breath of fresh air,” said Atwood.
www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/092907kvuedeathpenalty-jj.11fc7fe7a.html
10:19 AM CDT on Saturday, September 29, 2007
By Jeremy Desel KHOU NEWS
Thursday night, it was breaking news. But, it could change the scope of executions in Texas for a long time.
The U.S. Supreme Court stopped the execution of a Dallas man who killed his parents.
Now, it's possible all Texas executions could be suspended.
"I was ecstatic about it. Whenever an execution is called off even if it is at midnight we are happy about it,” said death penalty opponent David Atwood.
Nearly every condemned inmate, for the last several years, has included in his or her final appeal an argument that the method of lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment.
Only Carlton Turner’s resulted in a stay.
That, only because the Supreme Court decided this week to hear the appeal of a Kentucky case challenging lethal injection.
This is the first time that the Supreme Court has taken up a full review of that process. It could have far-reaching impacts.
"Many of us believe that is why Texas and the other 35 states that do lethal injection should probably shut it down and wait to see what the court says,” said 11 News legal expert Gerald Treece.
That would be a significant victory where there have been precious few for those who want to abolish the death penalty.
A real moratorium exactly what some think the governor should do.
But it may not lead to an unconstitutional finding for lethal injection.
"You have a conservative block on that court that may have granted review just to say, ‘No it is not,’” said Treece. Or to expand (it) even further, in this professor’s opinion when the death penalty is appropriate."
Still anytime the death chamber stays vacant, some think is a win.
"Here in Texas where we have all these executions. Anything that will stop an execution or a series of executions is like a breath of fresh air,” said Atwood.
www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/092907kvuedeathpenalty-jj.11fc7fe7a.html