Johnson, 52, was sentenced to death in 1993, when he was in his early 20s. Tried as a âdrug kingpinâ alongside two other men under the 1988 Anti-Drug Abuse Act, he was convicted of seven murders â a shocking body count that many would associate with the âworst of the worst.â Yet the case would not likely end in a death sentence today. There was significant proof that Johnson had an intellectual disability, which should have forbidden him from being sentenced to death. But reviewing courts refused to consider the evidence.
Regardless, Breedenâs task was not to judge Johnson for his crimes. As Johnsonâs spiritual adviser, his job was to prepare him to die. âI donât care who you are or what youâve done,â he said. âI think when youâre dying, life should give you the gift of being in the presence of somebody who cares, instead of just people who are paid to kill you.â Breeden knew that many on death row had little s
Two police reform bills dealing with civilian review boards and bodycam footage stall
Utah lawmakers are expected to debate dozens of police bills this session after a summer of protests against police violence.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City Police officers warn protesters that they will be arrested if they come any closer on 1300 East, during the Vice Presidential debate, on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. On Thursday, two police reform bills sponsored by a Democrat lawmaker stalled during their first hearings before the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee. | Updated: Feb. 6, 2021, 2:18 a.m.
So far, a few bills have inched along with little opposition, such as legislation that would require data collection for times when police use force, as well as a bill that would require officers to undergo annual training on how to deal with people who have mental health issues.
CNP/AdMedia/SIPA
The Biden administration “embraces and champions” the so-called IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, a State Department official said on Monday.
Kara McDonald, deputy assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, praised the definition “with its real-world examples” as “an invaluable tool” to “call hate by its proper name and take effective action,” according to the JTA news agency.
McDonald is serving temporarily as the Biden administration’s point person on the issue until it names a special envoy on anti-Semitism.
The IHRA definition has been promoted by Israel and its lobby groups.
It has been strongly opposed by civil libertarians and Palestinian and Jewish organizations which see it as a pretext to smear and censor supporters of Palestinian rights.
Matthew T. Mangino: Bail reform is safe, humane and fiscally responsible
By Matthew T. Mangino
Every day in America thousands of people are locked-up because they don t have money. Although those accused of a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty, the monetary bail system denies them their freedom. Those unfortunate few, without resources, sit in jail and are at risk of losing their jobs, their homes and their families.
Certainly, it s unfair to incarcerate someone merely because they cannot afford bail. It is equally unfair to every man and woman in this nation to contribute to the nearly $1 trillion spent on pretrial detention, according to the Pretrial Justice Institute which amounts to about 6% of the Gross Domestic Product.
(Joshua Roberts/Reuters)
1988 By a vote of 97-0, the Senate confirms President Reagan’s nomination of Ninth Circuit judge Anthony M. Kennedy to fill the seat of retiring Justice Lewis Powell. Kennedy was Reagan’s third pick, following the October 1987 defeat of the nomination of Judge Robert Bork and the withdrawal of the subsequent decision to nominate Judge Douglas Ginsburg. Kennedy will sit on the Court for the next thirty years, until his retirement in 2018.
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Often misdescribed as a “moderate conservative,” Kennedy in fact embraced an aggressive view of judicial power. While he sometimes deployed that power towards conservative ends, his misdeeds of liberal judicial activism were far more momentous and were often masked by grandiose rhetorical diversions. To cite but a few examples: