Alabama Editorials Against the Death Penalty

The editorial boards of Alabama's major newspapers have long criticized Alabama's death penalty.

Birmingham News

The State of Alabama Has Already Scheduled Five Executions for 2009, 12.10.08

Editorial calls for Troy King to focus less on the time it takes to execute Alabama death row prisoners and more on the need for fairness and reliability in the state's death penalty system.

Death Row Inmate's Request for DNA Testing Should Be Granted, 12.04.08

Editorial argues all convicts tried before the development of today's scientific methods should be able to get DNA testing if it could prove their innocence, especially in death penalty cases.

Alabama Is Hoping to Ramp Up Executions in 2009 after 2008 Proved a Slow Year Nationally for Capital Punishment, 12.31.08

Editorial criticizes scheduling of five executions in 2009 without fixing problems in Alabama's death penalty system.

Lawyers for Thomas Arthur will make case for DNA testing, 10.22.08

Editorial says Alabama prosecutors and the governor should be willing to use all available means to make sure an innocent person is not put to death.

Jefferson County Circuit Judge Teresa Pulliam rightly accepted the jury's conclusions and rejected a death sentence for a convicted killer, 10.20.08

Editorial commends circuit judge for following jury's decision that John Ashley be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

The Alabama Supreme Court gave its seal of approval to the state's lethal injection procedures. But there's much not to like about our death penalty, 10.11.08

Editorial emphasizes that Alabama Supreme Court's approval of new lethal injection procedures failed to make sure innocent people aren't executed, that those facing the ultimate punishment have a competent legal defense and that the death penalty is applied fairly.

State prosecutors are in an awfully big rush to get another execution date for an inmate with key issues pending in court, 09.29.08

Editorial calls for investigation into confession and DNA evidence before execution date is set in Tommy Arthur's case.

New study finds another arbitrary element that seems to play a role in who gets executed in America: inmate's level of education, 09.12.08

Editorial responds to finding that death row inmates with less education are most likely to be executed.

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley Should Lead the Way, 08.14.08

Editorial calls on governor to prioritize finding potentially exculpatory DNA evidence in Tommy Arthur's case and undertake a larger effort to preserve evidence in capital cases.

Decision Should Stand, 08.12.08

Editorial says decision of jury that life in prison without parole is the appropriate sentence for John Ashley should not be overridden by the trial judge.

Alabama on the World Stage, 07.03.08

Editorial raises Alabama officials' indifference to United Nations report that flaws in state's death penalty system may lead to execution of innocents.

No Other Option, 06.20.08

Editorial approves Attorney General Troy King's decision to accept life without parole sentence for intellectually disabled death row inmate John Lionel Neal.

Don't Be Cruel, 04.14.08

Editorial addresses Alabama death row inmate Daniel Sibert's challenge to a change in the state's lethal injection protocol.

Editorial Series on the Death Penalty in Alabama, Nov. 2005

Editorial board examines issues of innocence, race, and error in the administration of the death penalty in Alabama.

26 Years on Death Row: Time to Annul Judicial Override, 05.12.04

Opinion article discusses case of Phillip Tomlin, who spent 26 years on death row because of judicial override.

A Larger Problem: Alabama Judges Don't Need Life-And-Death Power, 10.02.02

Editorial addresses reversal of judge's override in Taurus Carroll's case and suggests judicial override may be unconstitutional.

Overriding Concerns: State Supreme Court Overturns Death Sentence, 07.31.02

Editorial discusses state supreme court's decision in Taurus Carroll's case as positive step towards ending judicial override.

A Judicious Decision, 05.17.07

Editorial about inadequate counsel for people on death row.

The Real World, 04.15.07

Editorial discussing reality of inadequate counsel for people on death row in Alabama.

Montgomery Advertiser

Court approves deplorable sentencing scheme, 10.05.16

Alabama is the last state to retain judge override, and now that the state supreme court upheld the scheme, the Legislature must act.

Life Without Parole: Let Jury Verdicts Prevail, 08.04.14

Calling on Alabama Supreme Court or the Alabama Legislature to end or strictly limit judges' power to impose the death penalty when a jury has not recommended it.

Mobile Press-Register

Court Is Right: Juries Should Make Decision, 06.25.02

Following the Supreme Court's decision in Ring v. Arizona, editorial board urges legislature to end judicial override in Alabama.

How to Make Alabama's Death Row Less Crowded, 07.06.99

Editorial suggests eliminating both judicial override and review by the Court of Criminal Appeals to streamline Alabama's death penalty scheme.

Anniston Star

Execute, Again, 01.05.09

U.S. should reconsider the effectiveness and use of capital punishment in light of observation that use of the death penalty has not stopped or even slowed murder rate.

Alabama and the Death Penalty, 07.06.08

Editorial calls for Alabama to end judicial override in light of concerns raised in United Nations report about possible innocence and the irreversible nature of the death penalty.

Wise Move in New Jersey, 12.20.08

Editorial praises New Jersey's abolition of broken death penalty system.

Death Row and Wiser Heads, 05.18.07

Editorial condemning Alabama's failure to provide counsel to people facing the death penalty.

Bad Justice on Display, 03.31.07

Editorial about inadequate counsel for people on death row.

Decatur Daily

Decatur Daily: We Think King Doth Protest Too Much, 07.04.08

Editorial says Alabama Attorney General Troy King’s reaction to a United Nations report on flaws in state's death penalty was predictably inappropriate.

Condemned Convicts Deserve Representation, 05.16.07

Editorial calling for Alabama to provide adequate counsel to people on death row.

Huntsville Times

Revise Alabama's Death Penalty Law, 07.20.11

Even if Alabama is unlikely to abolish capital punishment in the near future, lawmakers and judges should reconsider judge override, because "[j]ustice demands fairness."

A State of Unequal Justice, 09.14.08

Columnist calls for Alabama to reform indigent defense by adopting public defender system.

Times Daily

Do DNA Testing, 09.27.08

Editorial criticizes State's opposition to DNA testing in Tommy Arthur case.

Death Sentence, 07.05.08

Editorial suggests need for review of judge override after United Nations report suggests elected judges in Alabama may be overruling jury recommendations in capital murder cases for political reasons.

Tuscaloosa News

Executions Should Be Studied Instead of Enacted This Year, 12.08.08

Editorial responds to scheduling of five executions for first five months of 2009 by calling for moratorium on executions to study Alabama's death penalty system.

Supreme Court Made Right Decision, 09.29.08

Editorial says Alabama Supreme Court made the right decision in refusing Attorney General Troy King’s request to set a new execution date for Tommy Arthur.

Alabama Needs to Work Out Capital Punishment Kinks, 07.01.08

Editorial criticizes State of Alabama's refusal to test DNA evidence that could prove death row inmate Tommy Arthur is innocent.

Poor Defendants Deserve Better Legal Assistance, 06.17.08

Editorial calls for public and Legislature to support Indigent Defense Services plan and for provision of counsel to death row inmates in postconviction.

Alabama's Pause in Executions Is An Opportunity, 12.19.07

Editorial argues New Jersey's abolition of the death penalty should prompt conversation about ending the death penalty in Alabama.

No Way for State to Justify Denying Lawyers to Inmates, 05.16.07

Editorial condemning state's failure to provide adequate counsel.

AL.com: Support common sense reform of Alabama's death penalty process, 02.20.17

Op-ed by William N. Clark, past President of the Alabama State Bar Association, calls on the legislature to end judicial override and require unanimous jury verdicts in order to impose the death penalty.

Opelika-Auburn News: More Executions Not the Answer, 05.07.08

McAdory writes that the unreliability of the death penalty makes it immoral and unjust to resume executions after brief nationwide moratorium.