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Press ReleaseFeb 2021
ACLU Statement on Virginia Senate Passage of Death Penalty Repeal BillACLU Statement on Virginia Senate Passage of Death Penalty Repeal Bill
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia State Senate passed Senate Bill 1165, a death penalty repeal bill, this afternoon. The House Committee on Courts of Justice also voted to advance the bill this morning. The bill is expected to advance quickly to a full vote in the house. Henderson Hill, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Capital Punishment Project, issued the following statement: “Death penalty advocates around the country have our eyes on Virginia lawmakers this week, as we celebrate what has been thrilling momentum out of the state senate. This bill is a powerful repudiation of the barbaric and unconstitutional execution spree we saw at the federal level under the Trump administration. Each of the 13 federal executions we witnessed in the last seven months highlighted the insurmountable problems with the death penalty: It is racist, arbitrary, error-prone, and expensive. Leaders around the country are cheering Virginia on as it takes this important and critical step to put the irreparable harms that have been caused by the death penalty behind it. We expect to see the federal government and other states around the country follow Virginia’s lead.” Jenny Glass, director of advocacy at the ACLU of Virginia, issued the following comment: “The death penalty evolved in this country from lynching, and that legacy still sears our memory here in Virginia. It is tremendously powerful and meaningful to see this group of legislators act swiftly and decisively to take steps to end the punishment in our state. We thank the Senators who voted for this important bill, and we turn our attention now to the House. If our Representatives are serious about their commitment to racial justice and equality for all, they must vote in favor of this important bill.” -
Press ReleaseJan 2021
Capital Punishment
ACLU Statement on the 13th and Final Federal ExecutionACLU Statement on the 13th and Final Federal Execution
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The federal government carried out the execution of Dustin Higgs — a Black man who did not kill anyone — shortly after 1 a.m., marking the 13th federal execution in just six months. This was the final execution of the Trump presidency, and it will be the last federal execution this country ever holds if President-elect Biden makes good on his promise to end the federal death penalty. Cassandra Stubbs, director of the ACLU’s Capital Punishment Project, issued the following statement: “Tonight marks the end of a cruel, inhumane, and lawless federal execution spree. Over the last six months, we have witnessed the federal government execute 13 individuals in our name, often in the middle of the night, and over the objections of lower courts. Our federal government killed two Black men for crimes they committed 20 years ago as teenagers; it killed a woman who was a victim of unthinkable sexual violence and torture; it killed two Black men who didn’t kill anyone; and a man with an intellectual disability so severe that it’s impossible to ignore in his final words. The Supreme Court paved the way for many of these executions to go forward despite lower court findings that the executions were unconstitutional or barred by federal law. These executions were not justice — they simply perpetuated a cycle of pain, trauma, and bloodlust. “These executions became super-spreader events, and Terre Haute shot up to become the federal prison with the most cases of COVID-19. At a moment when more Americans are dying daily than did in 9/11, our federal government rushed forward to carry out executions that spread COVID-19 around Indiana and to the communities the Bureau of Prison staff returned home to. As people across the country are struggling to find work and pay rent, the federal government spent nearly a million dollars to kill each person it put to death. “President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to end the federal death penalty. He must honor that commitment, and he must begin this work by taking steps fully within his power: He must commute the sentences of people on the federal death row to life without parole, and he must drop death from all pending trials. This swift action is the only adequate response to the degrading and unconstitutional execution spree and to ensure that the federal government is never able to do this again.”