The End is Near!
The end is near! Maybe….
The U.S. Supreme Court is seriously considering accepting Hidalgo v. Arizona for argument and a decision in the term ending in June, 2018. At its heart, Hidalgo argues that capital punishment in the United States violates the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. The high court has put off deciding whether to take the case several times, most recently on December 8th, when justices asked to see the full case file. If accepted for argument, this case may fulfill the assertion made by Justice Breyer that the time has come for the Court to once again look at the issue as a whole.
In an article published on Christmas Eve in The Intercept, the intrepid Liliana Segura reports deeply on Hidalgo and its potential ramifications. In her usual style, Segura includes the type of background you don’t get anywhere else — it’s worth the read. And once again, an image created during an action produced by Death Penalty Action is used to illustrate fresh news.
Actually, that’s not exactly true. The image comes from the Abolitionist Action Committee (AAC) protest at the US Supreme Court last January, which was coordinated by Abe, Scott, Shane Claiborne and others. Death Penalty Action was born out of that AAC event, launching publicly in March with an unprecedented response to the crisis in Arkansas.
Since March, our work has impacted numerous events and discussions on the death penalty in the United States. Death Penalty Action continues to proudly serve our movement, providing high visibility resources, leadership, support, educational and direct action events and activities. We don’t know if the Supreme Court will take up Hidalgo. We don’t know exactly when or what the next crisis will be with capital punishment. But we must be ready.
With YOU and YOUR SUPPORT (click to invest!), Death Penalty Action stands ready to act quickly and decisively as needed. Your investment today will ensure that Death Penalty Action starts 2018 ready to roll. Thank you!
Yours in the Struggle,
Scott Langley & Abe Bonowitz
PS: Did you see the video we launched on December 17th, the 10th Anniversary of New Jersey becoming the first state to legislatively repeal the death penalty since 1964? Check that out here: http://deathpenaltyaction.org/njanniversary
