Why is Alabama almost always among the last of the states to adopt a common sense legislative measure?
Listen to what State Senator Dick Brewbaker told The Montgomery Advertiser about his bill to ban "judicial override"...the process allowing judges to reject a jury's "recommendation" of life in prison or execution in death cases:
But why did it take "longer", or, really, "longest?
I am positive if you polled Alabamians on the legislation the vast majority would agree that judges should be required to follow the jury's decision. But here we are, the last state still letting them ignore juries because, you know, they are smarter. How many people have been executed because some judge decided he or she knew better than the jury?
We may also be the last to eliminate the tax on groceries. Alabama and fourteen other States tax groceries, a regressive tax since all of us buy groceries. People with lower incomes feel the impact more. Every year for a couple of decades there has been a bill introduced to reduce or eliminate it.
The problem is that state taxes are so low we can't afford to drop it without replacing the income elsewhere.
Listen to what State Senator Dick Brewbaker told The Montgomery Advertiser about his bill to ban "judicial override"...the process allowing judges to reject a jury's "recommendation" of life in prison or execution in death cases:
"It was a bad practice," Brewbaker said in a phone interview Tuesday evening. "It showed a lack of confidence in Alabama juries, and I just think we came to the same conclusion of 49 other states. It just took longer."
But why did it take "longer", or, really, "longest?
I am positive if you polled Alabamians on the legislation the vast majority would agree that judges should be required to follow the jury's decision. But here we are, the last state still letting them ignore juries because, you know, they are smarter. How many people have been executed because some judge decided he or she knew better than the jury?
We may also be the last to eliminate the tax on groceries. Alabama and fourteen other States tax groceries, a regressive tax since all of us buy groceries. People with lower incomes feel the impact more. Every year for a couple of decades there has been a bill introduced to reduce or eliminate it.
The problem is that state taxes are so low we can't afford to drop it without replacing the income elsewhere.
[Sunday Focus is a regular feature of www.timlennox.com] Established 2008
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