via Dave McKinney and Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun-Times In a huge win for gun-rights groups, a divided federal appeals court in Chicago Tuesday tossed the state’s ban on carrying concealed weapons and gave Illinois’ Legislature 180 days to craft a law legalizing concealed carry. “The debate is over. We won. And there will be a … Continue reading
via Richard K. De Atley, Press Enterprise Voters in November will be asked if they want to get rid of California’s death penalty, currently imposed on 726 inmates — 112 of them from Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The state’s death chamber has gone unused since 2006 because of a judicial review of the lethal … Continue reading
via Cord Jefferson, Gawker Two months before alleged killer James Holmes stormed a Colorado movie theater, murdering 12 and injuring dozens more, police and politicians in a different place were trying to squelch the tremors from their own mass killing. It was in Chicago, over Memorial Day weekend, when police responded to more than 40 … Continue reading
via Shannon Young, The Huffington Post After years of failed attempts to repeal the death penalty, Connecticut lawmakers in both the House and the Senate have passed legislation that abolishes the punishment for all future cases. As expected, members of the House voted 86-62 in favor of the bill after a floor debate that lasted … Continue reading
via Max J. Rosenthal, The Huffington Post After a marathon session of debate, the Connecticut Senate passed a bill early on Thursday morning abolishing the death penalty, making the state all but certain to end capital punishment within weeks. Connecticut would be the 17th state to repeal the death penalty and the first since Illinois … Continue reading