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Unbridled Prosecutorial Discretion And Standardless Death Penalty Policies: The Unconstitutionality Of The Washington Capital Punishment Statutory Scheme, James E. Lobsenz

Seattle University Law Review

This Article advances six reasons why Washington's statutory scheme for capital punishment should be deemed unconstitutional. The current death penalty statutes violate the separation of powers doctrine, the grand jury indictment clause of the fifth amendment, the equal protection clauses of the fourteenth amendment and article I, section 12 of the Washington State Constitution, the vagueness doctrine of the due process clause, and the doctrine of unlawful delegation of legislative power. Finally, it promotes an unequal administration of capital punishment in further violation of the guarantee of equal protection of the law.