“What the court says about jury selection, and what it says about the reasons that prosecutors have to give for striking people of color from juries, that’s going to affect every case from now on,” says Stephen Bright, president of the Southern Center for Human Rights. More →

October 30, 2015

“The country’s long been divided over whether to have it. But that only led to even more difficult questions. How do you do it? How do you implement it? And can you do it fairly and rationally?” More →

May 9, 2014

“I’m trying to run my campaign now in a way that’s true to who I am spiritually but also to some spirituality realities of the moment,” says US Senate candidate and former Virginia governor Tim Kaine. More →

September 4, 2012

The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on sentencing juveniles convicted of murder to life in prison with no possibility of parole. Justice Scalia reminded the Court that many states allow it and “the American people…have decided that’s the rule.” But Justice Ginsburg suggested such sentencing makes a juvenile “a throw-away person.” More →

May 25, 2012

by Elaine de Leon The ancient Roman Colosseum, known historically for violent gladiator battles, animal combat, and public executions, has become a symbol for international protest against capital punishment. Over the past decade, every time a convicted person receives a … More →

April 24, 2009

Right now, 36 states permit capital punishment for murder. Should that penalty be extended to those who rape children? More →

June 13, 2008

In a 5-to-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that executing people for crimes they committed before the age of 18 is unconstitutional. The case that brought the issue to the Supreme Court involved a young Missouri man named Chris Simmons. More →

March 4, 2005

Should juveniles ever be executed? In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled that states could execute offenders as young as 16 if they chose to. But attitudes appear to be shifting, and the case now coming before the court could end that practice for good. More →

October 1, 2004

RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY previews upcoming U.S Supreme Court cases. At issue are recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools, state funding for religious education, and the case of Death Row inmate Delma Banks. More →

October 3, 2003

“I feel that some crimes warrant the death penalty… Jonathan didn’t deserve life, he deserved what he got. The fact that I had forgiven him didn’t change what he had done,” says Paula Kurland, who forgave the man who murdered her daughter. More →

May 16, 2003