United States
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- federal republic with a strong federal tradition
- CONSTITUTION
- September 17, 1787, in effect from March 4, 1789
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- federal court system based on English common law. Each state has its own legal system
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- bicameral, Congress (Senate and House of Representatives)
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, U.S. District Courts; state and county courts
RELIGIONS
51.3% Protestants; 23.9% Catholics; 1.7% Mormons; 1.6% other Christians; 1.7% Jews; 0.7% Muslims; other unspecified or no religion
From the country
- OCTOBER 5, 2001United StatesDEATH PENALTY
A Paris-based human rights group said that most of...
A Paris-based human rights group said that most of those on death row in the United States had not received a fair trial and called on US Supreme Court judges to declare the death penalty unconstitutional
- OCTOBER 5, 2001United StatesDEATH PENALTY
A Pakistan court asked the military government to explain...
A Pakistan court asked the military government to explain why a Palestinian jailed for the 1986 hijacking of a US plane in which 22 people were killed was extradited to the United States to face further trial after serving his sentence
- OCTOBER 2, 2001United StatesDEATH PENALTY
US embassy diplomats in Uganda had appeared before...
US embassy diplomats in Uganda had appeared before the Defence and Internal Affairs Committee and urged parliament to pass the bill expeditiously that seeks to impose a mandatory death sentence for terrorists and any person who aids, finances or supports
- SEPTEMBER 6, 2001United StatesDEATH PENALTY
The Washington Post said that this year marked the...
The Washington Post said that this year marked the first time since the death penalty was restored in 1976 that executions had dropped significantly nationwide for two years in a row
- SEPTEMBER 4, 2001United StatesDEATH PENALTY
American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson said called...
American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson said called on the United States to follow the example of the African National Congress in South Africa, in getting the death penalty abolished
- AUGUST 17, 2001United StatesDEATH PENALTY
A July 2001 Harris Interactive survey found that: · 94%...
A July 2001 Harris Interactive survey found that: · 94% of Americans believe innocent people are sometimes convicted of murder · those surveyed believe that, on average, 12% of those convicted of murder are innocent · only 42% believe the death penalty de
- AUGUST 3, 2001United StatesDEATH PENALTY
American Bar Association Urges Moratorium on Federal...
American Bar Association Urges Moratorium on Federal Death Penalty; Releases Death Penalty Protocols
- JULY 31, 2001United StatesDEATH PENALTY
The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)...
The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to investigate whether the death sentence given to Rahmad Shah Afridi, the owner and chief editor of a Pakistan daily on charges of drug trafficking was politic
- JULY 23, 2001United StatesDEATH PENALTY
During his visit in Italy, President Bush was received...
During his visit in Italy, President Bush was received by Pope John Paul II who admonished him for his support of capital punishment, saying the death penalty does not belong in "a free and virtuous society
- JULY 20, 2001United StatesDEATH PENALTY
Ira Einhorn, the ex-hippie guru at the centre of a...
Ira Einhorn, the ex-hippie guru at the centre of a controversial extradition case between France and the United States was extradited to the US to face trial for the murder of his former girlfriend
- JULY 10, 2001United StatesDEATH PENALTY
A federal jury in New York sentenced Khalfan Khamis...
A federal jury in New York sentenced Khalfan Khamis Mohamed to life without parole for the August 1998 bombing of the U
- JULY 8, 2001United StatesDEATH PENALTY
Federal Judge Michael Ponsor wrote about his experience...
Federal Judge Michael Ponsor wrote about his experience presiding over the case of Kristen Gilbert, a former nurse accused of murdering 4 patients at a veterans' hospital