New Jersey lawmakers are speeding ahead on a plan to make the Garden State the first in the nation to repeal the death penalty since it was reinstated more than 30 years ago, capping a year in which similar efforts gained traction across the country.
The New Jersey Senate on Monday (Dec. 10) approved a bill that would replace capital punishment with a criminal sentence of life without parole, and the state Assembly — the lower house — is expected to vote on identical legislation on Thursday (Dec. 13). Leaders of the Democratic Legislature have put the repeal on a fast track in recent weeks and Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine said he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
U.S. East: Open Discussion
