Federal Judge Strikes Down California’s Death Penalty
Click here for reuse options!U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney handed down an order Wednesday, finding that the system is arbitrary and in violation of the Constitution’s 8th Amendment.
“California’s death penalty system is so plagued by inordinate and unpredictable delay that the death sentence is actually carried out against only a trivial few of those sentenced to death,” Carney writes. “For all practical purposes then, a sentence of death in California is a sentence of life imprisonment with the remote possibility of death — a sentence no rational legislature or jury could ever impose.”
Carney continues: “Inordinate and unpredictable delay… has resulted in a system in which arbitrary factors, rather than legitimate ones like the nature of the crime or the date of the death sentence, determine whether an individual will actually be executed. And it has resulted in a system that serves no penological purpose. Such a system is unconstitutional.”
Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: Cheston Catalano
Cheston Catalano is a Kentucky-based journalist whose work has been featured in the Chattanooga Times Free Press and the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle. He is a long-time contributor to Liberaland.
12 responses to Federal Judge Strikes Down California’s Death Penalty
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tiredoftea July 17th, 2014 at 11:05
Yay! One small step to returning to a just society.
tiredoftea July 17th, 2014 at 11:05
Yay! One small step to returning to a just society.
Tommy6860 July 17th, 2014 at 11:13
Awesome, I wish the courts would strike it down nationally for good..
Tommy6860 July 17th, 2014 at 11:13
Awesome, I wish the courts would strike it down nationally for good..
arc99 July 17th, 2014 at 11:41
I live in northern California and one of the kayak rental outfits that I patronize is about a 30 minute paddle from the San Quentin grounds which is where the state death chamber is located. But without googling, I would be hard pressed to say exactly when we had the last execution in California. The process does drag out as Charles Manson is still there, as is the killer they called the night stalker, Richard Ramirez.
Sirhan Sirhan I think is still there too, but I do not recall if he got the death penalty for murdering RFK. At any rate, very few tears will be shed in this state over this judge’s decision. The death penalty has no place in civilized society. When you look at the countries which have banned the practice; Canada, France, Britain etc. compared to the countries where it is still practiced; China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, the moral compass to be followed is quite clear.
arc99 July 17th, 2014 at 11:41
I live in northern California and one of the kayak rental outfits that I patronize is about a 30 minute paddle from the San Quentin grounds which is where the state death chamber is located. But without googling, I would be hard pressed to say exactly when we had the last execution in California. The process does drag out as Charles Manson is still there, as is the killer they called the night stalker, Richard Ramirez.
Sirhan Sirhan I think is still there too, but I do not recall if he got the death penalty for murdering RFK. At any rate, very few tears will be shed in this state over this judge’s decision. The death penalty has no place in civilized society. When you look at the countries which have banned the practice; Canada, France, Britain etc. compared to the countries where it is still practiced; China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, the moral compass to be followed is quite clear.
chair jackson July 17th, 2014 at 14:40
it’s also cheaper to imprison someone for life than it is to go through all the appeals the death penalty requires, so why bother?? [and then there’s the issue of accidentally killing the wrong person–oops!]
chair jackson July 17th, 2014 at 14:40
it’s also cheaper to imprison someone for life than it is to go through all the appeals the death penalty requires, so why bother?? [and then there’s the issue of accidentally killing the wrong person–oops!]
Ron Jackson July 17th, 2014 at 14:52
And of course the pro life right wingers are losing their minds over this,because Jesus would be in favor of the death penalty
eaglesfanintn July 17th, 2014 at 15:23
Remember, they’re “pro-birth”, not “pro-life”.
Ron Jackson July 17th, 2014 at 14:52
And of course the pro life right wingers are losing their minds over this,because Jesus would be in favor of the death penalty
eaglesfanintn July 17th, 2014 at 15:23
Remember, they’re “pro-birth”, not “pro-life”.