Republicans and Democrats banded together to override the Governor’s veto of a bill to repeal the death penalty in the state, making the Granite State the 21st to do away with capital punishment. When accounting for the states that have placed moratoriums on the death penalty, that brings us to half of all states that have made this move. Of the 25 states that still have the death penalty, over a third of them have not used it in a decade or more as executions continue to fall out of favor on both the right and left. Which state will be the next to go?
On Tuesday, April 2nd the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill to repeal the death penalty with a vote of 4-1! The bill will now move on to the full senate as soon as next week. Congratulations to our New Hampshire coalition and all of the amazing activists there!
New Hampshire is picking up steam and is well on its way to passing death penalty repeal legislation yet again! This year, they are posed to have the votes for a veto override as well, meaning this could be the year the last state in New England with the death penalty finally says goodbye. There are several upcoming events where local residents can get involved and show their support. February 19th at 9 AM: Vigil in front of State House February 19th at 10 AM: Criminal Justice Hearing in Rep’s Hall February 19th 12:30 PM-1:30 PM (hearing lunch break): Upham Walker House reception with Sr. Helen and Exonerees February 20th at 10 AM: House Criminal Justice Committee Executive Committee on HB 455, LOB 204 February 20th at 12 noon-2 PM: Legislative Lunch in State House Cafeteria – Meet and greet with Sr Helen and Kirk Bloodsworth
This week, New Hampshire came only two votes of shy of being able to override the Governor’s veto on death penalty repeal legislation. Despite this temporary setback, the state has shown real progress on the issue that is sure to continue next year, and that matches the momentum in the rest of the country for repeal. A new article from the Crime Report notes these gains and the work of Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty. From the article: “Thirty-one states still have death penalty laws still on the books, and 12 of those states have an official moratorium on executions. Earlier this year, CCADP told The Crime Report the group was hopeful about repeal efforts in New Hampshire, Washington State, and Utah. While none have yet succeeded, observers still note a trend favoring abolition.” It went on to note: “Even in red states not yet examining repeal, we have seen good momentum from leadership on this issue,” CCADP’s Hannah Cox told The Crime Report, noting Ohio Governor John Kasich’s recent grants of clemency to death row inmates William Montgomery and Raymond Tibbetts, and a death penalty study produced by Pennsylvania that calls for change. “All of th
A new article in the Washington Examiner examines the reasons a growing number of conservatives are opposed to the death penalty and links back to Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty multiple times. From the article: “Perhaps more fundamentally, however, another guiding star of conservatism is limited government and opposition to giving political leaders more power than they need. With the death penalty, which is clearly not needed to keep dangerous individuals off the streets in the modern world, granting the state authority over life and death is hardly justifiable.” The article went on to note: “In short, although the override of the governor’s veto in New Hampshire was unsuccessful, it should not be surprising that more conservatives now oppose the death penalty. Many of them came together to abolish Nebraska’s death penalty in 2015, although the voters later overturned them in a referendum. The field is moving on this issue, and hopefully others will join the fight to abolish the practice.” You can read the full article here.
