I didn’t know where I stood on capital punishment for a long, long time. I do now. Some questions are far too weighty to answer without a great deal of consideration; whether you’re for or against the death penalty is one of them. I fought with myself through my 20s and early 30s over which side I was on. Deciding was important to me. People’s lives are at stake. I felt I should have an opinion as a voting American.
Update from my neck of the woods: In 1996, lawyers excluded every Black person from serving on the jury of a Black man accused of murder. He later was sentenced to death row in 45 minutes. "Legal experts and his attorneys call Tucker’s case one of the most blatant examples of jury discrimination in recent North Carolina history—and it’s why it’s back before the N.C. Supreme Court as part of four cases involving claims of racial discrimination in jury selection." The story by Michael Hewlett is "A Jury of One's Peers" at the ncassembly.com.
Update from my neck of the woods: In 1996, lawyers excluded every Black person from serving on the jury of a Black man accused of murder. He later was sentenced to death row in 45 minutes. "Legal experts and his attorneys call Tucker’s case one of the most blatant examples of jury discrimination in recent North Carolina history—and it’s why it’s back before the N.C. Supreme Court as part of four cases involving claims of racial discrimination in jury selection." The story by Michael Hewlett is "A Jury of One's Peers" at the ncassembly.com.