ACLU ‘Extremely Disheartened’ by Pleau Ruling
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
The RI ACLU said Monday it was “extremely disheartened” by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit's decision to overturn Governor Lincoln Chafee’s efforts to prevent the institution of federal death penalty charges against Jason Wayne Pleau. The ACLU had filed a “friend of the court” brief in support of the Governor’s position.
Rhode Island was the second state in the Union to abolish the death penalty in 1852, and it has not carried out an execution since that time. In a letter sent to the U.S. Solicitor General last year, the RI ACLU and other organizations denounced as “inappropriately gratuitous” the U.S. Attorney’s efforts to initiate death penalty proceedings against Pleau. The ACLU further argued that the Department of Justice’s own standards on when to pursue the death penalty “offer no basis for this course of conduct.”
“We are extremely disheartened by today’s appellate court ruling, "RI ACLU executive director Steven Brown said. "Like the two dissenters in that ruling, we do not believe that the federal government should be able to obtain all the benefits of, but evade its obligations under, the federal Interstate Agreement on Detainers law. We do not seek to minimize the pain that David Main’s family has suffered, but it is wrong for the federal government to impose on our state a policy that Rhode Island eliminated more than a century and a half ago.”
The ACLU has long argued that the death penalty is not a deterrent, that it is imposed in a discriminatory, arbitrary and irrational manner, and that it remains capable of convicting innocent people. The ACLU and other groups opposed to the death penalty will continue to urge that the federal government drop any plans to proceed with a death penalty case against Pleau, who has already agreed to serve a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
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Comments:
Common Sense RI
8:27am on Tuesday, May 08, 2012
My heart bleeds for the ACLU's pain.
Michael Trenn
8:46pm on Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Too bad. Just as the City of Cranston did not have the money to fight the "prayer banner" ruling, neither does the State of RI have the money to pursue further appeals, in this case to the US Supreme COurt. I just love the hypocrisy of Liberals, by the way, when they claim "States Rights" on this type of case, while shoving the Federal Government down our throats at all the other times.
Michael Trenn
8:50pm on Tuesday, May 08, 2012
If The Governot wants to fund A Supreme Court appeal out of his ( wife's) pocket, the Mazel t'ov. Otherwise, stay out of my pocket for this foolish errand.
Billy Santos
9:55pm on Tuesday, May 08, 2012
ALways trying to justify your jobs.. ACLU is the problem in this State with all these liberals. You commit the crime you face the consequences. If you are an ILLEGAL yes ILLEGAL get the F%&k out of this county and stop going to bat for them.. ACLU is a waste and complain and come fwd with these bogus cases..