New Jersey to consider abolishing death penalty (Reuters)

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

New Jersey to consider abolishing death penalty

By Jon Hurdle
Reuters
Tuesday, May 8, 2007; 1:46 PM

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - New Jersey lawmakers will consider
abolishing the death penalty this week, starting a process that
could see the liberal state become the first to scrap capital
punishment since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated it in 1976.

On Thursday, the judiciary committee of the state Senate will
consider two bills calling for New Jersey to replace execution
with life imprisonment without parole. Capital punishment in
the state is already suspended under a moratorium passed by
legislators in late 2005.

Sen. Ray Lesniak, a Democrat and sponsor of one of the bills,
said he was confident that a combined bill would be passed
by the panel and, while its fate in the full Senate was less
certain, it was likely that the legislation would become law
some time this summer.

Lesniak, a former supporter of the death penalty, said he had
changed his mind largely because of the risk of executing an
innocent person.

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Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/08/AR2007050800978.html