As U.S support for the death penalty reaches new lows, President Donald Trump wants to make capital punishment the norm in the nation’s capital. “If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be seeking the death…
Faith leaders urge Arkansas governor not to resume executions
August has been a busy month for capital punishment in Arkansas even though no executions are scheduled and the state’s governor said she’s in no rush to resume executions following an eight-year pause. The first development came Aug. 5 when…
Veterans urge DeSantis to stop execution
Five veterans have been executed since Ron DeSantis became governor of Florida in 2019 with a sixth scheduled to die this month. But a group of former service members wants the killing to stop and are pleading with the governor…
Tennessee governor urged to commute death sentence of intellectually disabled man
Advocates and families of people with intellectual disabilities are pleading with Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to halt the Aug. 5 execution of an inmate suffering from brain damage, dementia and lifelong cognitive impairment. While federal legal precedent and state statute…
Florida faith leaders plead with DeSantis to slow executions
More than 100 Florida faith leaders signed a letter pleading with Gov. Ron DeSantis to pause the fast pace of executions in the state this year. Seven men have been executed already in 2025, and two more are scheduled to…
The kingdom within: Reclaiming the sacred in an age of contradiction
“The kingdom of God is inside you, and all around you, not in mansions of wood and stone. Split a piece of wood, and I am there; lift a stone, and you will find me.” — Gospel of Thomas, Saying…
Abolishing the death penalty in the spirit of Easter and Passover
As we move through the sacred calendar of spring — when Jews celebrate Passover and Christians observe Easter — we are reminded of profound spiritual truths: Liberation from bondage, triumph over death, the sacredness of life. These holy days invite…
Death penalty executions on the rise worldwide
Death penalty executions in the U.S. and worldwide increased in 2024 over the previous year and reached the highest overall level in a decade, according to a new Amnesty International report. The human rights group said 1,518 state executions were…
Louisiana gasses inmate despite victim’s family appeals not to do so
On Tuesday evening, March 18, the state of Louisiana executed Jessie Hoffman Jr., putting him to death with nitrogen gas. Faith leaders from around the state gathered at Angola Prison to support Hoffman’s family and to hold a public vigil…
Letter to the Editor: The moral urgency of abolishing the death penalty
Dear Editor: Imagine being given a choice on how you die, but the options are limited to electrocution, lethal injection or a firing squad. This isn’t a dystopian nightmare — it’s the grim decision forced upon Death Row inmates in…
US Supreme Court says Oklahoma Death Row inmate deserves new trial
Capital punishment opponents are rejoicing after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Oklahoma Death Row inmate Richard Glossip must receive a new trial in the 1997 killing of a motel owner in Oklahoma City. But death penalty abolitionists also acknowledge…
Louisiana set to gas 81-year-old man in wheelchair
Update: Christopher Sepulvado died in prison Feb. 21 before the state could execute him. On Feb. 17, an interfaith group of religious leaders gathered at Touro Synagogue in New Orleans for a prayer vigil in protest of Louisiana’s plan…