Posting this for archiving purposes.

Reblogged from: Sacramento Bee:

Dan Walters: California’s death penalty dying of old age
By Dan Walters
Published: Tuesday, Jul. 22, 2014

During the last four decades, no California political issue has burned more intensely than capital punishment, but it may have ended with a whimper, rather than with a bang, last week.

Federal Judge Cormac Carney ruled that the death penalty is unconstitutional because it’s rarely used – thanks largely to ceaseless legal challenges from its opponents, one should note.

Another irony is that Jerry Brown – a lifelong foe of capital punishment – was governor when it dominated the Capitol in the 1970s, and he’s governor again as Carney’s ruling more than likely ends it.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/22/6574992/dan-walters-californias-death.html#storylink=cpy