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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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Does Maine Have the Death Penalty? What Mass Shooter Could Face if Caught Alive

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Robert Card is the person of interest police are looking for following Wednesday night's mass shootings in a bowling alley and nearby bar

Police continue to hunt Thursday morning for the man who allegedly killed at least 18 people last night in multiple shootings in Maine.

Robert Card, the person of interest police whom police are searching for, is a 40-year-old U.S. military firearms instructor believed to have opened fire in a bowling alley and nearby bar Wednesday evening.

Card's car has been found abandoned, and the search for the "armed and dangerous" man carries on.

If Card is eventually caught alive and convicted of killing those 18 people — and wounding at least 13 others — he won't face the death penalty due to state laws.

In Maine, which became a state in 1820, capital punishment has been outlawed since 1887.

Maine first abolished it in 1876, but reinstated it in 1883 for murder. Four years later, it was no longer an option for judges or juries determining a convict's fate.

Before the abolishment of the death penalty, Maine sent 22 people to the gallows from 1644 to 1885. 

All but one of them had committed murder, with one convicted of treason. Only two of the hanged convicts were women.

While there have been multiple proposals over the years to reinstate the death penalty, none have made it to the floor for a vote.

Most recently, legislators proposed reinstating the death penalty in 2005, in an effort to dissuade domestic violence. 

In 2001, one lawmaker sought to bring the death penalty back, but only for cases of child homicide.

Card, if caught alive, will likely be charged with various degrees of murder, along with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and weapons offenses. 

If convicted, life in prison without parole would be the maximum penalty he could receive.

However, state legislators — perhaps inspired by Card's alleged actions — may try to introduce new legislation in upcoming sessions to reestablish the death penalty.

Source: themessenger.com, Chris Harris, October 27, 2023


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Location: Maine, USA
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