Post by Anja on Jun 22, 2006 18:04:01 GMT -5
Supreme ruling on juveniles ---- The U.S. Supreme Court refused Alabama's
attempt to reinstate executions for juvenile killers. Let's hope the
court's ruling puts this issue to rest.
The U.S. Supreme Court had a chance to validate the odd legal theories of
Alabama Associate Justice Tom Parker. Thankfully, the court passed.
The U.S. justices refused Alabama's bid to reinstate the death penalty for
defendants who were as young as 16 when they committed their crimes. The
decision came with no commentary. But let's hope it spoke volumes to a
group of Alabama politicians who tried to use this issue to their
advantage during the most recent political primaries.
Chief among this group was Parker, who ran for chief justice under the
mistaken assumption that Alabamians have as little regard for the law as
he does.
Parker, you see, didn't agree with the U.S. Supreme Court's 2005 decision
barring the execution of offenders under the age of 18. As a result, he
claimed he didn't have to adhere to the ruling and neither did his
colleagues. In particular, Parker said the state court should not have
overturned the death sentence of Renaldo Adams, who was 17 when he raped
and stabbed to death his pregnant neighbor, Melissa Mills.
Parker had worked on the Adams case in the attorney general's office, so
he could not participate in the Alabama Supreme Court's decision. Instead,
he publicly sniped at his colleagues afterward, saying they should have
resisted the nation's highest court - a show of defiance he said might
have led the Supremes to reconsider and get it right.
It was bad enough Parker politicized this case to aid his bid for chief
justice. Worse, he enlisted candidates to run against his court colleagues
on the same frightening platform.
Thank goodness Alabama voters soundly rejected the Parker slate.
Alabama has suffered enough from court-defying stunts. Voters understand -
and judges, of all people, should know - there are proper channels for
challenging court rulings without putting the state through another
stand-in-the-door debacle.
Indeed, that's just what Attorney General Troy King did: He asked the U.S.
Supreme Court, in appropriate legal form, to revisit the issue.
The court said no.
On principle, The News applauds the court's decision to stand firm. People
can't vote before they're 18; they can't buy beer or cigarettes; they
can't join the Army. There's a reason. They aren't judged mature enough or
responsible enough to take on certain risks or obligations or make certain
decisions. Neither should they bear the same culpability as adults when
they commit the most heinous of crimes.
Does that mean they should endure no punishment? Absolutely not. The
question in Adams' case was not whether he would die for his crime or go
free. It was whether Adams would die for his crime or be locked up for the
rest of his life. It's entirely appropriate for the court to say
executions at least should be reserved for people who were old enough to
vote when they committed a capital crime.
It's the right decision. And if it silences the likes of Parker, all the
better.
(source: The Birmingham News)
attempt to reinstate executions for juvenile killers. Let's hope the
court's ruling puts this issue to rest.
The U.S. Supreme Court had a chance to validate the odd legal theories of
Alabama Associate Justice Tom Parker. Thankfully, the court passed.
The U.S. justices refused Alabama's bid to reinstate the death penalty for
defendants who were as young as 16 when they committed their crimes. The
decision came with no commentary. But let's hope it spoke volumes to a
group of Alabama politicians who tried to use this issue to their
advantage during the most recent political primaries.
Chief among this group was Parker, who ran for chief justice under the
mistaken assumption that Alabamians have as little regard for the law as
he does.
Parker, you see, didn't agree with the U.S. Supreme Court's 2005 decision
barring the execution of offenders under the age of 18. As a result, he
claimed he didn't have to adhere to the ruling and neither did his
colleagues. In particular, Parker said the state court should not have
overturned the death sentence of Renaldo Adams, who was 17 when he raped
and stabbed to death his pregnant neighbor, Melissa Mills.
Parker had worked on the Adams case in the attorney general's office, so
he could not participate in the Alabama Supreme Court's decision. Instead,
he publicly sniped at his colleagues afterward, saying they should have
resisted the nation's highest court - a show of defiance he said might
have led the Supremes to reconsider and get it right.
It was bad enough Parker politicized this case to aid his bid for chief
justice. Worse, he enlisted candidates to run against his court colleagues
on the same frightening platform.
Thank goodness Alabama voters soundly rejected the Parker slate.
Alabama has suffered enough from court-defying stunts. Voters understand -
and judges, of all people, should know - there are proper channels for
challenging court rulings without putting the state through another
stand-in-the-door debacle.
Indeed, that's just what Attorney General Troy King did: He asked the U.S.
Supreme Court, in appropriate legal form, to revisit the issue.
The court said no.
On principle, The News applauds the court's decision to stand firm. People
can't vote before they're 18; they can't buy beer or cigarettes; they
can't join the Army. There's a reason. They aren't judged mature enough or
responsible enough to take on certain risks or obligations or make certain
decisions. Neither should they bear the same culpability as adults when
they commit the most heinous of crimes.
Does that mean they should endure no punishment? Absolutely not. The
question in Adams' case was not whether he would die for his crime or go
free. It was whether Adams would die for his crime or be locked up for the
rest of his life. It's entirely appropriate for the court to say
executions at least should be reserved for people who were old enough to
vote when they committed a capital crime.
It's the right decision. And if it silences the likes of Parker, all the
better.
(source: The Birmingham News)