One Committee Down, One to Go in the Garden State

NJ Update: The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, one of the two committees I mentioned earlier that the bill to repeal New Jersey's death penalty needs to pass, has voted 8 to 4 in favor of the bill. Now one more committee, the Legislature's Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee, and then a senate- and legislature-wide votes stand in the way of this historic repeal. Lawmakers are predicting it will pas in both before receiving a rubber-stamp approval from Governor Corzine.

New Jersey's drive to abolish the death penalty is the most impactful happening in capital punishment legislation right now. Its implications are huge, as a rollback of the death penalty would be the first statewide abolishment in the modern era and could set off a legislative wave, conceivably leading to similar examinations and repeals in every state in the Union (most immediately, however, in the Northeast; it may take awhile to spread through the South and finally to Texas). It is impossible to underestimate the importance of this abolishment on the future of capital punishment in the United States.

The progress of this issue has long mirrored the progress of this blog, generating more posts and updates than any other issue. The consummation of this blog had been tentatively scheduled for the 12th of December, and the final vote on this issue is tentatively scheduled for the 13th. I have decided that the vote, which will likely represent an historic milestone in American capital punishment policy and attitudes, possibly the day the tide turned, will also signal the end of this blog. It's been illuminating, and I feel that the vote in New Jersey will signal both a fitting note to leave on and exciting new era in capital punishment policy. A new era, for new blogs.