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Gov. Richardson asking for public input on whether to sign death penalty abolition bill

By Douglas A. Berman

As noted in this post, late Friday the New Mexico state legislature finally passed a bill to repeal the death penalty in that state.  Now, as detailed in this local story, Gov. Bill Richardson is actively seeking public input concerning whether he should sign the bill: Gov. Bill Richardson, whose signature could abolish the death penalty in New Mexico, spoke publicly Saturday about his dilemma over signing the bill. The governor said in the days after the attacks of 9-11, he supported the death penalty. But in the last couple of years, he says his thinking has started to change. "You see prosecutorial abuse, you see inmates that have been wrongly incarcerated, you see DNA evidence that's faulty," Richardson said. Those doubts could play a role in Richardson's decision to either sign or reject a bill passed by the New Mexico Senate Friday that would abolish the death penalty for life without parole...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on March 15, 2009 (boomark / email).