Nebraska repealed the death penalty by overturning the governor’s veto on a 30-19 vote, but the debate isn’t over. Governor Ricketts has vowed to execute the remaining death row inmates, despite the legislature’s action to end capital punishment. He even made efforts to acquire lethal injection drugs in order to carry out these executions, but the FDA has stated that it will seize these drugs because they were illegally imported from India.
All these developments point to a hopelessly broken system of capital punishment, which is why the Nebraska Legislature ended it in the first place. Nevertheless, Governor Ricketts and his allies are attempting to reinstate the death penalty by putting the issue on the ballot. To force a referendum on capital punishment, they must collect over 50,000 signatures and over 100,000 to halt the law until a statewide vote is held.
In response, Nebraskans for Public Safety officially launched, bringing together many coalition partners who supported repeal efforts. Nebraskans for Public Safety is continuing to educate Nebraskans about the failures of the death penalty and encouraging citizens to “Decline to Sign” the petition that would put death penalty repeal on the ballot. The campaign has already released television and radio ads to help Nebraskans across the state understand what’s at stake.
Earlier this month, some surprising and welcome news came from a seemingly unlikely place – Texas. For the first time in more than 20 years, no jury in the previous 6-month period has imposed the death penalty in the Lone Star State. This is great news, but it shouldn’t be that astonishing considering that death sentences are at a 40-year low as both red and blue states realize that capital punishment is an unnecessary and costly program.
Conservatives Concerned in the Media
Again, CCATDP was at the forefront of the national debate over the death penalty, and we were prominently featured in several news services.
• We were included in stories ranging from the Washington Examiner, Newsweek, Rare, the Journal Star, and others.
• CCATDP’s Heather Beaudoin was interviewed by Clay Today Online, and she wrote an article for the Intellectual Conservative, highlighting the work of Christians in Nebraska’s death penalty repeal campaign.
• CCATDP’s Ben Jones also penned a piece published by our strategic partners, Young Americans for Liberty, describing how Nebraska became the first red state in 40 years to abolish capital punishment.
• I was a guest on the Scott Adams Radio Show to discuss how conservatives are increasingly changing their views on the death penalty.
• Friend of CCATDP, Mohammed Shaker, authored an op-ed on July 3 to explain why Americans who love liberty should oppose capital punishment.
Upcoming
For the 3rd year in a row, CCATDP will be at the Young Americans for Liberty national convention in Washington DC. If you’re in the area on 7/29-7/31, drop by and chat with us!
Spread the Word!
Let your friends know why you’re concerned about the death penalty. Click here to share an article on Facebook about the Louisiana District Attorney who is responsible for 1/3 of the state’s death sentences. He believes that capital punishment is correctly about revenge and that we should “kill more people.” Also, click here to share this article detailing why the death penalty is so expensive.