Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> StandDown Texas Project

Criminal Law

: StandDown Texas Project

Legislation in Georgia

By standdown

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, "House approves controversial death penalty bill."Imposing the death penalty in Georgia would take only 10 of 12 jurors under an amended bill approved by the state House Wednesday. The controversial amendment would change the way capital punishment has been imposed in Georgia for more than two centuries. It allows a judge to decide the ultimate sentence if a jury votes at least 10-2 in favor of death. Current law requires a unanimous jury verdict for a capital sentence. Senate Bill 145, sponsored by Sen. Preston Smith (R-Rome), began as non-controversial legislation. It allows district attorneys to seek life-without-parole sentences in aggravated murder cases. Under current law, prosecutors can only obtain life without parole for murder when they seek the death penalty or when a murder defendant has an earlier conviction for a serious violent felony...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on March 20, 2008 (boomark / email).