We expected debate to go on much longer, but the writing was on the wall. All eyes are on Nebraska, but the fight isn’t over. This vote is Round One. There is another round of debate and two more votes that we have to win before the bill goes to the Governor’s desk. And if…
by Sarah Craft, EJUSA, and Sarah Barrett, Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (NADP) In a press conference at the Capitol this morning, members of Nebraska Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty (NE-CCATDP) called on lawmakers to support repeal. Seven state senators along with other Nebraska conservatives shared how the death penalty conflicts with…
Today the National Latino Evangelical Coalition voted unanimously to support an end to the death penalty. EJUSA’s Heather Beaudoin joined NaLEC’s President, Rev. Gabriel Salguero and other Latino Evangelical leaders for a press conference in Orlando, FL to announce the news. Below are videos from that event. In English:
The National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC) became the first national association of Evangelical congregations to join the effort to repeal the death penalty. NaLEC’s board of directors voted unanimously for the resolution and is urging its 3,000 member congregations to support efforts to end capital punishment across the country. The President of NaLEC, Rev. Gabriel…
In one of his strongest statements against the death penalty to date, Pope Francis said that capital punishment “is inadmissible, no matter how serious the crime committed.” The Pope’s comments were submitted in a forceful call to the International Commission against the Death Penalty in Madrid. The Pope added that the death penalty “contradicts God’s…
On March 17, a group of Kansas conservative leaders gathered in Topeka to declare their support for repeal of the death penalty. Their case is straightforward: the death penalty is at odds with core conservative values – a commitment to fiscal responsibility, limited government, and valuing life. The group presented an open letter signed by…
In 2014, the United States saw its fewest executions in twenty years. Now, less than a quarter of the way into 2015, two new governors – Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania and Kate Brown of Oregon – have declared a halt to executions in their states. In other states, lingering questions over lethal injection are also…
It’s a big day in Nebraska: a key committee voted unanimously for death penalty repeal! The sponsor of the bill, Senator Ernie Chambers told the Lincoln Journal Star that this was “as good a chance to get it passed as there has ever been.” Nebraskans from all over the state descended on the capital last…
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…
The death penalty is not only dying in the United States. It’s dying all over the world. In the Western Hemisphere, 34 of the 35 countries have ended the death penalty in law or in practice. That was the subject of the 56th Lecture of the Americas, sponsored by the Organization of American States last…