Home : Death Penalty

ACLU Calls For Pennsylvania to Become Third State To Enact Death Penalty Moratorium (05/16/2002)
PHILADELPHIA-- The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania is once again calling on Pennsylvania to enact a death penalty moratorium. We urge our elected officials to demonstrate the kind of compassion and courage displayed by the Governors of Maryland and Illinois and make Pennsylvania the third state in the country to suspend its use of the death penalty.  

ACLU Encouraged By Rush of Republican Support for Innocence Protection; Urges House to Move Quickly and Prevent Further Innocent Executions (05/14/2002)
WASHINGTON - Encouraged by a recent onrush of support for a bill designed to reduce the number of innocent men and women who are mistakenly executed in America, the American Civil Liberties Union today said that Congress must act quickly to turn this legislation into law and combat such executions. 

Maryland Stays Execution and Becomes Second State to Declare Death Penalty Moratorium; ACLU Applauds Governor's Courage (05/10/2002)
WASHINGTON-The American Civil Liberties Union's Capital Punishment Project applauds the leadership of Governor Parris Glendening of Maryland, who stayed the execution of Wesley Eugene Baker and announced a moratorium on all executions in the state pending the release later this year of a state study which examines racial biases in capital cases. 

One Down, Six to Go this Month: Why is Texas in a Rush to Execute? (05/08/2002)
WASHINGTON-Texas once again seems determined to take the lead in the nation's execution race. This month alone, the state had planned to kill eight death row inmates. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, has already stayed the execution of two of those prisoners. 

ACLU Applauds Federal Judge's Intention to Declare Federal Death Penalty Unconstitutional (04/26/2002)
WASHINGTON-The American Civil Liberties Union's Capital Punishment Project applauds U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff for declaring that he may rule that the federal death penalty is unconstitutional based on the high number of innocent people who have been released from death row. 

ACLU of Illinois Commends Release of Report by Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment (04/15/2002)
CHICAGO--The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois commends the Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment for its diligent work and considerable attention to addressing problems in Illinois' failed death penalty system. The recommendations of the Commission, as reflected in the report released today, demonstrate the seriousness and open-minded approach with which the Commission members approached this process. 

ACLU Applauds Illinois Panel's Call for Death Penalty Reforms, Urges Support for National Moratorium on Executions (04/15/2002)
WASHINGTON--The American Civil Liberties Union applauds the call for sweeping changes in Illinois' death penalty system contained in a 200-page report released today. This report is the most comprehensive examination yet of the death penalty and should be a benchmark for further action by the states and the federal government. 

Release of 100th Innocent From Death Row Underscores Urgent Need for Moratorium, ACLU Says (04/09/2002)
WASHINGTON--The release of Ray Krone, who spent over two years on Arizona's death row for a crime he did not commit, should be a wake-up call for elected officials and state leaders all across this country.  

ACLU of PA Urges Passage of Legislation to End Death Penalty for those with Mental Retardation (03/18/2002)
PHILADELPHIA--The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania today urged state lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 26, legislation that would prohibit the execution of individuals with mental retardation. 

ACLU Applauds Jury Decision to Spare Andrea Yates' Life (03/15/2002)
WASHINGTON -- We are relieved that Andrea Yates will not face death for the senseless tragedy that occurred in Texas last summer. Yates is a woman suffering from serious mental illness and her possible execution should never have been an option. It took a Harris County Texas jury less than an hour to reach this conclusion. A nagging question however remains: how long will it take for Texas prosecutors and lawmakers to recognize the need for more restraint in seeking the death penalty?