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…
The liberty movement is a growing wing of the GOP, crossing over with the Tea Party, and Young Americans for Liberty is the largest, most active, and fastest growing liberty organization on America’s campuses. Last month YAL announced a Strategic Partnership with Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty. Here, YAL’s Kansas State Chair shares his…
One hundred and six years ago today Kansas became one of the first states to pass legislation ending the death penalty. Kansas’ death penalty was reinstated a few times since 1907, most recently in 1994. But it was never embraced. In 2010 the State Senate voted 20-20 on repealing the death penalty, with 12 Republicans…
The American Law Institute (ALI), one of the most respected institutions in American jurisprudence, recently got rid of the capital punishment section from its Model Penal Code. If that sounds dry to you, consider this: the Model Penal Code serves as a blueprint for state laws. Their capital punishment section was the framework on which…
A bill that would end the death penalty in Kansas passed the senate judiciary committee by a vote of 7 to 4! The ‘yeses’ included five Republicans and two Democrats and this bi-partisan endorsement moves the bill on to the full state senate, which will debate the issue as early as next week. The committee’s…