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Biden Fails a Death Penalty Abolitionist’s Most Important Test

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The mystery of Joe Biden’s views about capital punishment has finally been solved. His decision to grant clemency to 37 of the 40 people on federal death row shows the depth of his opposition to the death penalty. And his decision to leave three of America’s most notorious killers to be executed by a future administration shows the limits of his abolitionist commitment. The three men excluded from Biden’s mass clemency—Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers—would no doubt pose a severe test of anyone’s resolve to end the death penalty. Biden failed that test.
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Missouri: Court denies motions from man set to be executed Tuesday

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Michael Taylor (left), Roderick Nunley (right)
The Missouri Supreme Court has denied the latest legal challenges from a man scheduled to be executed Tuesday for raping and killing a 15-year-old Kansas City girl in 1989.

The judges ruled Friday to overrule a motion that sought a stay of execution for Roderick Nunley. 

The court also rejected his request for a writ of habeas corpus, which allows prisoners to challenge their convictions on constitutional grounds.

Nunley was 1 of 2 men who pleaded guilty and received the death penalty in the death of Ann Harrison. 

She was waiting for a school bus in front of her home when she was abducted. 

Michael Taylor was executed for the same crime in 2014.

Source: Associated Press, August 30, 2015

Report an error, an omission: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com
Location: Missouri, USA
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