State capital punishment developments and debates

As detailed in recent posts here and here, the Judiciary Committees of both houses of Congress are debating new habeas restrictions, which would be of greatest consequence for state death penalty cases.  Meanwhile, whether and how to have the death penalty is the subject of recent debates in a number of state legislatures.

From Massachusetts, as detailed in this story, the state legislature today is scheduled to debate the death penalty bill that Governor Mitt Romney “proposed in April that would bring back the death penalty [which he] promised [could] create a foolproof system that would be ‘model for the nation.'”  Background on Romney’s bill can be found in a post here and in commentary here and here.

From North Carolina, as detailed in this story, a bill had been proposed in the NC House for a two-year study and moratorium on the death penalty across the state, but “an amendment passed Tuesday in the House Judiciary Committee drastically changed the legislation, removing the two-year halt on executions.”  Interestingly, that amendment “allows for those sentenced to death to apply for postponement for the duration of the study [but to] qualify for a postponement, convicts on death row must display some credible evidence that pertains to the study.”