Yesterday, Delaware’s death penalty was ruled unconstitutional!
“Delaware’s death penalty is gone,” said EJUSA’s Executive Director Shari Silberstein. “It’s only a matter of time before the whole house of cards that is the death penalty in the United States comes crashing down.”
Delaware joins the growing number of states that have abandoned the death penalty – the 19 that have repealed the death penalty (plus the District of Columbia!), the 4 that have a moratorium in place, and the 8 others that haven’t carried out an execution in more than 10 years.
After the General Assembly came close to repealing the death penalty this spring, the Delaware Supreme Court took up the issue. They ruled that the state’s law violates the 6th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, based on the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Hurst v. Florida. The Hurst decision found that juries, not judges, must ultimately decide whether a defendant should receive a death sentence.
You can read more about the Delaware Supreme Court’s decision here, or tune into our Facebook and Twitter feeds to get the latest.
Thanks for all of your support and efforts, which make celebrations like this all the better.
