Quote Originally Posted by Osteomata View Post
circmand,
Wisconsin has not had the death penalty for 150 years. I'm not sure what you are talking about.

And yes, the duly elected governor of a state can, in accordance with that state's constitution, pardon someone, though I know of no death row inmate awaiting execution that has ever been pardoned. What I am familiar with is governors granting stays of execution for evidentiary or procedural issues, or possibly commuting a sentence, say from death to life in prison. So again, I am not sure which governor execution pardons you are thinking of.
It was Illinois where 1 governor stopped the legally instituted death penalty for all on death row. As for Wisconsin after 150 years they are looking to make it legal again. But what I am saying is you can not trust the legal system if one person a governor who knows nothing about a case except a brief can over rule what a judge and jury decided was appropriate. This guy who murdered 4 cops was legally found guilty and sent to jail for life. Huckabee said thats too harsh let him out and now 4 cops are dead. In Illinois dozens were legally found guilty and one person the governor decided the legal system was wrong and commited their death penalty sentence. Remember Willie Horton a vicious murdered set free by the governor Mike Dukakis who was out for a short time and murdered again. I may be more willing to give up the death penalty if these people who get life sentences actually never got out but it seems they end up being paroled in a few short years and kill again. One thing is sure no one who was ever given the death penalty ever murdered again while many who got life sentences have.