Constitutional Law

A Very Big Thank You!

By Rachel Bloom, Center for Justice

Yesterday, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland commuted the death sentence of Kevin Keith, a possibly innocent man, to life without parole. We have written about Kevin Keith's case multiple times. We told you about how groups including the Ohio Innocence Project, the National Innocence Network, and a group of leading eyewitness and memory experts (PDF) were petitioning the Ohio Parole Board and Gov. Ted Strickland to grant clemency to Kevin Keith. We were nervous: the Parole Board rejected his claim and recommended the governor deny his clemency request, and earlier this week, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals denied one of Keiths' final appeals. His September 15 execution date was fast approaching.

But we pressed on and continued our push for commutation, asking you to contact Gov. Strickland urging him to do the right thing. The response was overwhelming, as civil libertarians around the country took action. More than 1,650 of you responded and signed the ACLU's petition to Gov. Strickland. Your signatures contributed to yesterday's wonderful news that the governor commuted Kevin Keith's sentence.

Please take the time to thank Gov. Strickland for doing the right thing and commuting Kevin Keith's death sentence.

The struggle for Kevin Keith's innocence continues, but now Kevin Keith will have the time he needs to continue his fight for exoneration.

Thank you Governor Strickland!

Full post as published by Blog of Rights on September 03, 2010 (boomark / email).