We will be updating our Twitter feed and this post with more information as it comes in.
*Update – 12/4/2014, 1:56pm ET* Here is the statement from Panetti’s attorneys at the Texas Defender Service. It includes a thorough background on the case.
*Update – 12/4/2014, 12:01pm ET* The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a stay of execution while they “consider the late arriving and complex legal questions at issue in this matter.” Read the decision here.
“Conservatives believe in a criminal justice system that is fair, just, and effective,” says EJUSA’s Marc Hyden, coordinator for Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty. “This case has made a mockery of that system.”
Marc is speaking about the execution of Scott Panetti, set for tonight in Texas. Panetti’s mental illness has been well-documented for over 30 years. At his trial, he represented himself wearing a purple cowboy costume and tried to call the Pope, John F. Kennedy, Anne Bancroft, and Jesus Christ to testify. His lawyers say that his current state of mind is worse than it has ever been. Yet Texas’ Board of Pardons and Paroles vote 7-0 to let the execution go forward.
The Governor or the Supreme Court can still step in. And they would do well to listen to the massive, nationwide outcry that the execution has generated.
Over 50 national and Texas evangelical leaders signed a letter saying that executing Panetti would “cross a moral line.’ Signers included Rev. Sam Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice, Lynn Hybels of the nationally prominent Willow Creek Church, and Gabriel Salguero of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition – a cast that faith blog Patheos called “gold-plated.”
“A fundamental tenet of the pro-life ethic is that all life has value,” wrote national pro-life advocate Abby Johnson in an op-ed in the Dallas Morning News about the execution. “A culture of life recognizes the value of those who are vulnerable and prioritizes safeguarding them.”
“This is the largest outpouring of support on a death penalty case we’ve seen from evangelicals, and you can see why, given the ridiculous nature of this case,” EJUSA’s Heather Beaudoin told Mother Jones last week. “As Christians, we’re called protect the most vulnerable,” she said, “and there’s just no question that Scott Panetti is in that number as someone who’s suffered from severe mental illness.” (Watch more of Heather from last night on Huffington Post Live.)
Former Presidential Candidate Ron Paul also sent a letter in support of clemency, and on Monday, 20 leading conservative leaders – including former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, conservative activist Brent Bozell, and former NRA President David Keene – weighed in.
Panetti’s case came before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals again last month. The Court declined to stop the execution, but Tom Price, a conservative judge on the court, wrote a powerful dissenting opinion calling for repeal of the death penalty for the first time. He said, “I conclude that it is wishful thinking to believe that this State will never execute an innocent person for capital murder.”
These major figures join with over 95,000 people who have signed a petition started by Panetti’s sister, asking Governor Rick Perry to stop the execution. We’ll keep you posted on Twitter as today’s events unfold. Whatever happens tonight in Texas, it is clear that a new conversation on the death penalty has begun.
Photo Credit: Texas Defender Service
