The Death Penalty

Thought this may deserve its own thread...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/10/us/brandon-bernard-execution-death-penalty.html

If you've done any research on this it's an interesting story. This guy was sent to prison at 18 for taking part in a gang killing of a young couple. There was very little proof that he actually was the one who pulled the trigger. He was tasked with burning the car and the bodies and the woman had some soot in her lungs, so they tagged murder to him. Prosecution asked for the death penalty as he was sure to commit more crimes either in or out of prison as a high ranking gang member. Detectives testified at some point that he was just an outlier and not within the leadership of the gang, thus he really wasn't for sure in line with potential future crimes...that testimony was suppressed by the prosecution until it was to late to properly appeal for a stay under that pretense. Several Supreme Court justices agreed with a stay, but not enough of them. I would be interested to know why in July Trump decided to start executing people again. I believe we are into the double digits at this point. 2003 was the last federal execution before this past July, and Grover Cleveland was the last lame duck President to execute someone. Another is scheduled for today.

I won't delve into the particular case in your article, but today's execution deserves worse than what he's going to get.

Totally agree...this dude should have been killed immediately after sentencing.

...unless someone commits treason, espionage, murder, large-scale drug trafficking, or attempted murder of a witness, juror, or court officer...in which case, their lives DON'T matter and should be terminated

I wish Trumpsters would stop claiming to be pro-life when, really, most of them are simply anti-abortion.

We are a nation of laws. There are laws that govern the death penalty procedure. This Judge says to ignore them. Why?

"And both inmates challenged the federal government’s new execution protocol, arguing that their execution dates were scheduled without enough warning.

Under federal death penalty law, federal executions must be carried out in the same manner as in the states where the inmates were sentenced. Since Bernard and Bourgeois were both sentenced to death in Texas federal courts, they argue that means their executions must be set at least 91 days in advance, a requirement in Texas statute that allows time for inmates to ask the governor to delay their executions or change their sentences.

The time gap also allows inmates to raise new challenges in court that only become relevant once an execution date is scheduled, like questions of mental competency or the safety of lethal injection drugs.

Bernard’s federal execution for Thursday, however, was set 55 days in advance. Bourgeois only got three weeks’ notice for his Friday execution date.

So far, courts have rejected timing as a reason to stop the executions. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C., acknowledged this week that the government’s scheduling timelines violated the federal death penalty law but said that issue wasn’t sufficient to halt the executions.

“Both have already submitted clemency petitions, and the decision whether to grant those petitions now rests with the President,” she wrote in her ruling Sunday, adding that she was “sympathetic to the argument that such petitions would likely receive more favorable treatment from the incoming administration.”

For Bourgeois, a 91-day notice would have meant his execution could not have been scheduled before the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who has said he opposes the death penalty.


https://www.texastribune.org/2020/12/10/brandon-bernard-alfred-bourgeois-executions/

This is one of the angles I found to be interesting in this situation. Whether you agree with the death penalty or not, it seems that we are all of a sudden making stuff up as we go in many instances. I'm certain I don't agree with that.

Right. The law says you get 91 days notice from setting your execution date to the execution. Why can't we comply with that law if we have already waited 20+ years from the time of the crime.

If that 91 days puts you past the Trump presidency is that any reason to break the law?

[quote]..unless someone commits treason, espionage, murder, large-scale drug trafficking, or attempted murder of a witness, juror, or court officer...in which case, their lives DON'T matter and should be terminated.

If you can't do the time (or lack thereof) don't do the crime. Their parents CHOOSE life for them but they CHOOSE to be criminals and in doing that they made a CHOICE of the consequences.

ramblinman wrote:
...unless someone commits treason, espionage, murder, large-scale drug trafficking, or attempted murder of a witness, juror, or court officer...in which case, their lives DON'T matter and should be terminated

I wish Trumpsters would stop claiming to be pro-life when, really, most of them are simply anti-abortion.

Dems - pro-choice and anti-death penalty
Reps - pro-life and pro-death penalty

This is just one example of the hypocrisy of the American political parties.

dusty7 wrote:

ramblinman wrote:
...unless someone commits treason, espionage, murder, large-scale drug trafficking, or attempted murder of a witness, juror, or court officer...in which case, their lives DON'T matter and should be terminated

I wish Trumpsters would stop claiming to be pro-life when, really, most of them are simply anti-abortion.

Dems - pro-choice and anti-death penalty
Reps - pro-life and pro-death penalty

This is just one example of the hypocrisy of the American political parties.  

Nailed it!

dusty7 wrote:

ramblinman wrote:
...unless someone commits treason, espionage, murder, large-scale drug trafficking, or attempted murder of a witness, juror, or court officer...in which case, their lives DON'T matter and should be terminated

I wish Trumpsters would stop claiming to be pro-life when, really, most of them are simply anti-abortion.

Dems - pro-choice and anti-death penalty
Reps - pro-life and pro-death penalty

This is just one example of the hypocrisy of the American political parties.  

Ramblinman - pro-life from conception to natural death

dusty7 wrote:

ramblinman wrote:
...unless someone commits treason, espionage, murder, large-scale drug trafficking, or attempted murder of a witness, juror, or court officer...in which case, their lives DON'T matter and should be terminated

I wish Trumpsters would stop claiming to be pro-life when, really, most of them are simply anti-abortion.

Dems - pro-choice and anti-death penalty
Reps - pro-life and pro-death penalty

This is just one example of the hypocrisy of the American political parties.  

I will say this at least for my part- There is a major difference, to me at least, between punishing an adult for the choices they consciously made in life (which often cost someone else their life) vs a child who isn't out of the womb yet.