webfact Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 US state abolishes death penalty in landmark override voteGRANT SCHULTE, Associated PressLINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) — Nebraska abolished the death penalty on Wednesday in a landmark veto-override vote backed by an unusual coalition of conservatives who oppose capital punishment.Senators in the one-house Legislature voted 30-19 to override Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican who supports the death penalty. The vote makes Nebraska the first traditionally conservative state to eliminate the punishment since North Dakota in 1973.Nebraska joins 18 other states and the District of Columbia in banning the ultimate punishment.Some senators said they philosophically support the death penalty, but are convinced the state will never carry out another execution because of legal obstacles. Nebraska hasn't executed an inmate since a 1997 electrocution, and the state has never done so with its current lethal injection protocol.Nebraska lost its ability to execute inmates in December 2013, when one of the three lethal injection drugs required by state law expired.Ricketts announced this month that the state has purchased two of the drugs that the state now lacks, but opponents have said they still aren't convinced Nebraska will be able to resume executions. On Tuesday, Republican Attorney General Doug Peterson implored lawmakers to give state officials more time to prepare.The repeal bill was introduced by independent Sen. Ernie Chambers, who has fought for nearly four decades to repeal the death penalty.Nebraska's action to repeal the death penalty is unusual because of its traditionally conservative leanings. Maryland was the last state to end capital punishment, in 2013. Three other moderate-to-liberal states have done so in recent years: New Mexico in 2009, Illinois in 2011 and Connecticut in 2012.The last time lawmakers passed a death penalty repeal bill was in 1979, but senators at the time didn't have enough votes to override a gubernatorial veto.-- (c) Associated Press 2015-05-28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khwaibah Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 So the will of the citizens of Nebraska don't count. Politicians at their best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawker9000 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Well, I don't suppose it'll be the elites being murdered by recycled killers, will it? Imagine, deliberately creating a class of violent criminal with absolutely nothing to lose by offending again ... How'd you like to be a corrections officer, or a fellow inmate, in a place that houses such people? These lawmakers, and their supporters, have just made themselves morally liable for all the murders these lifers ever go on to commit, in perpetuity. Congratulations - you are now official aiders & abettors. Sleep well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Credo Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Well, I don't suppose it'll be the elites being murdered by recycled killers, will it? <snipped> Nebraska? Elites? When I think of Nebraska, the word elite just doesn't come to mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanuk711 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 So the will of the citizens of Nebraska don't count. Politicians at their best. I was under the impression that the citizens of Nebraska voted them in.....to pass laws etc...the same as the other states Do you want to have a full state referendum on the passing of every law in America -----or just the ones that you don't like...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elgordo38 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 So the will of the citizens of Nebraska don't count. Politicians at their best. The politicians did the same in Texas over rode the rights of municipalities to ban fracking so much for peoples rights. Killers and rapist should be put to death why should they be fed and locked down at 50,000 bucks a year. China has this one right a 5 cent bullet to the head. None of this fancy lethal injection crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smotherb Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 So the will of the citizens of Nebraska don't count. Politicians at their best. Not sure if the death penalty is the will of the citizens of Nebraska. Laws can and do originate in the unicameral legislature; it appears this bill was originated by the legislature and may not have been place on a citizen's referendum. What the legislature did was to pass the bill which the governor vetoed; then the legislature voted to override, by a 30-19 vote, the veto the Govenor had placed on the bill. This is quite common in any form of popular-vote oriented government. If you go only on popular vote, Gore won the 2000 presidential election and not Bush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKKBobby Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 A thumbs up to Nebraska! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawker9000 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Well, I don't suppose it'll be the elites being murdered by recycled killers, will it? <snipped> Nebraska? Elites? When I think of Nebraska, the word elite just doesn't come to mind. I believe the legislature sits in the capital of the state, Lincoln. <You're welcome.> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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