Bishop praises New Jersey lawmakers for vote to abolish death penalty

Published: 2007-12-14

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Bishop John M. Smith of Trenton, N.J., said Dec. 14 he was pleased New Jersey legislators voted to abolish the death penalty, but said he would not have a "triumphalist attitude about it" because capital punishment is such a sensitive issue. Members of the General Assembly voted Dec. 13 to end the death penalty in their state, four days after the measure was approved by the state Senate. Gov. Jon Corzine was expected to sign it into law. Bishop Smith, who has testified before state lawmakers to oppose capital punishment, said the legislators showed "a great deal of courage" to take what is an unpopular position against the death penalty. In a phone interview with Catholic News Service, he said the state will not be the first to abolish the death penalty, but the first to stop its use since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976 after a three-year suspension. The practice was reinstated in New Jersey in 1982, but no one has been executed by the state since 1963. Currently, eight prisoners are on the state's death row.

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