ACLU Comment on Delaware Supreme Court Striking Down the Death Penalty

DOVER, Del. – This statement is attributable to Kathleen MacRae, Executive Director of the ACLU of Delaware, Inc.

“The Delaware Supreme Court has decided that the Delaware death penalty statute is unconstitutional based on their understanding of the Sixth Amendment—trial by jury—and the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Hurst v. Florida. The ACLU of Delaware applauds this decision.

“As of today, Delaware no longer has a death penalty. We join the ranks of 19 other states in the United States without capital punishment. We are proud to join with the seven other states such as Maryland, New Jersey, and Nebraska that have eliminated their death penalties since 2007.

“We call on all Delawareans to honor this ruling by our highest court and oppose any effort by the General Assembly to ‘fix’ our death penalty statute. The death penalty is an antiquated system broken beyond repair. It has no place in our criminal justice system.”