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Fairness

Press Release
The Department of Justice building in Washington, DC

Federal Government Makes Terrible Decision to Resume Executions

Statement by Shari Silberstein, Executive Director of Equal Justice USA: “Despite substantial evidence that the death penalty is overrun by racism and the process preys upon the poor and those struggling with trauma, the federal government has made a choice to begin executing again. Executions and death sentences are at historic lows because, as a…

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Press Release

Washington State’s death penalty ruled unconstitutional

In a 9-0 ruling, the Washington State Supreme Court has declared the state’s death penalty unconstitutional. Washington is now without a death penalty and becomes the 20th state in the country to reject capital punishment. Statement by Shari Silberstein, Executive Director of Equal Justice USA: “The Washington State Supreme Court today declared what we have…

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News
Star Ledger NJ 10th anniversary

Ending capital punishment was right thing to do for N.J.

Published with the permission of The Star-Ledger, where it first appeared. It’s hard to imagine today that two Republicans and two Democrats would join together to pass historic legislation on any issue, no less an issue that was seen by some as “controversial.” But ten years ago this week, that’s exactly what we did. And…

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News

Missouri stayed the execution of Marcellus Williams, but why was he sentenced to die in the first place?

This piece first appeared at usnews.com on August 23, 2017. Tuesday night, Missouri almost executed a man who is likely innocent. Marcellus Williams came within mere hours of execution, and the process that put him there is a scathing indictment of our justice system. Bloody footprints at the scene did not match Williams’ shoe size. The…

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News

Racist hate mail a reminder of the death penalty’s true colors

Last month, an African American prosecutor in central Florida received an especially disturbing piece of hate mail: a racist note and a noose. The prosecutor, State Attorney Aramis Ayala, made national news earlier this year when she announced she would not seek the death penalty in future cases. Her constituents broadly supported the decision, and…

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From the Field
Mona delivering sign-on letters

Civil rights leaders weigh-in against scheduled executions in Arkansas

Local and national civil rights and racial justice leaders signed a letter to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, calling on him to halt the series of executions scheduled in the coming weeks. EJUSA Campaign Strategist Mona Cadena was on hand at the Capitol to deliver the letter (left), which outlined the concerns the group has with the death…

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News

Faith leaders support new trial in case of juror exclusion

Over 500 pastors recently released a letter calling for a new trial for Texas death row inmate Chris Young. The letter urges Texas officials to award Young a new trial because of the exclusion of a potential juror in his original death penalty case. Young and his attorneys argue that the prospective juror was improperly struck from…

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News

Reimagining Justice This Month | Feb 2017

Our current criminal justice system harms millions of people – from crime survivors to the justice-involved and their families. Reimagining Justice This Month highlights communities that are organizing for effective responses to violence – responses that disrupt cycles of violence, heal trauma, and address structural racism. “When Killer and Victim’s Mother Meet, Paths From Grief,…

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News

Georgia conservatives launch new efforts to re-examine death penalty

Georgia Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, a network of conservatives questioning the alignment of capital punishment with their conservative principles, officially launched last week with a news conference at the Georgia State Capitol. “Georgia may have led the nation in executions in 2016, but our state is actually moving away from the death penalty,” said Marc…

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News
NBCSL Conference

Black lawmakers call for repeal of death penalty

African American State Legislators Cite Disproportionate Sentencing The National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) has passed its first-ever resolution supporting repeal of the death penalty in the United States. The historic vote took place during the NBCSL 40th Annual Legislative Conference in New Orleans, LA. It is an escalation of the organization’s previous call for…

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