Home : Death Penalty

Following Acquittal of 113th Death Row Inmate, ACLU Calls for Moratorium on Executions in North Carolina (02/18/2004)
WASHINGTON - The acquittal of Alan Gell -- the nation's 113th exonerated death row inmate -- is the latest powerful evidence that North Carolina needs a moratorium on executions, the American Civil Liberties Union said today.

ACLU of Massachusetts Decries Federal Imposition of Death Penalty Charge in Local Murder Case (12/23/2003)
BOSTON - The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts today decried the imposition of the federal death penalty in the case of Gary Sampson.

NYCLU Hails Appeals Court Decision Vacating Death Sentence in Second Case Under New Law (11/25/2003)
NEW YORK -- The New York Civil Liberties Union today hailed a decision from the New York Court of Appeals vacating the death sentence of the second person sentenced to death under New York's new death penalty law. The NYCLU had filed a friend-of-the-court brief calling for reversal of the death sentence and has been involved in several earlier successful challenges to the state's death penalty law, which was enacted in 1995.

Students Converge on Pennsylvania's Capitol to Protest the Death Penalty (10/10/2003)
HARRISBURG, PA--High school and college students will rally on the steps of the state capitol tomorrow to protest the death penalty, following a day of conference and workshops sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union's Students Against the Death Penalty at Grace United Methodist Church. Keynote speakers are former Illinois Governor George Ryan, who commuted the sentences of all 167 Illinois death row inmates before leaving office in 2003; and Ray Krone, released from Arizona's death row in 2002 following ten years imprisonment.

ACLU Sues Ohio Officials to Expose Hidden Procedures in Execution of Death Row Inmates (09/25/2003)
CLEVELAND -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against state officials over the way in which executions are performed by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections.

Arbitrary and Capricious Application of Death Penalty Persists Three Decades After Furman v. Georgia (06/27/2003)
WASHINGTON-More than 30 years after the Supreme Court called for a temporary halt on executions in the landmark Furman v. Georgia decision, the death penalty is still being applied in an arbitrary, discriminatory and capricious manner, according to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union's Capital Punishment Project released today to coincide with this month's anniversary of the decision.

High Court Overturns Death Sentence of Man Due to Ineffective Assistance of Counsel (06/26/2003)
WASHINGTON-The American Civil Liberties Union's Capital Punishment Project today applauds the Justices of the Supreme Court for affirming the Sixth Amendment right to legal counsel that meets objective standards for competent representation.

Don't Kill in Our Names (06/09/2003)
Murder victims who oppose the death penalty often have a tough time being heard. But a new book that profiles 10 such people may change that.

Louisiana Man Becomes 108th Innocent Exonerated from Death Row (05/09/2003)
NEW ORLEANS- The release today of John Thompson, who spent over 16 years on Louisiana's death row for a crime he did not commit, should be a wake-up call for elected officials and state leaders all across this country.

ACLU Hails North Carolina Senate for Passing Death Penalty Moratorium Bill (04/30/2003)
WASHINGTON--The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the North Carolina Senate for passing a bill to halt executions in the state for two years while state officials conduct a thorough examination of its death penalty system. The North Carolina Senate becomes the first legislative chamber to pass moratorium legislation this year.