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Killing Capital Punishment In New Jersey: The First State In Modern History To Repeal Its Death Penalty Statute, Robert Martin
Killing Capital Punishment In New Jersey: The First State In Modern History To Repeal Its Death Penalty Statute, Robert Martin
Robert J. Martin
This article examines how opponents of the death penalty were successful in lobbying and eventually achieving statutory repeal of New Jersey’s death penalty statute in December 2007. The primary goal of the article is to offer inspiration and guidance for similar efforts in the thirty-five states that still authorize capital punishment. In reviewing lessons learned from New Jersey, the article demonstrates that abolition proved both difficult and doubtful. Led by a small group of organizers and sympathetic legislators, the advocates of abolition faced multiple challenges. The article focuses special attention on their key strategic decisions: pursuit of both legislation and …