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
- JANUARY 1, 2000United StatesDEATH PENALTY
Five women have been executed in the United States...
Five women have been executed in the United States since the Supreme Court lifted a ban on the death penalty in 1976
- DECEMBER 6, 1999United StatesDEATH PENALTY
On December 6, the National Jewish/Catholic Consultation,...
On December 6, the National Jewish/Catholic Consultation, a group co-sponsored by the National Council of Synagogues and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs, issued a joint statement calling fo
- NOVEMBER 24, 1999United StatesDEATH PENALTY
"Innocence and the Death Penalty: The Increasing Danger...
"Innocence and the Death Penalty: The Increasing Danger of Executing the Innocent," a July 1997 report by the Death Penalty Information Center, updated November 24, 1999, indicates that 84 people have been freed from death row since 1973 after evidence o
- NOVEMBER 10, 1999United StatesDEATH PENALTY
On November 10, USA Senator Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin,...
On November 10, USA Senator Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, introduced a bill to abolish the federal death penalty and called on all states that impose the death penalty to cease the practice in their state
- OCTOBER 1, 1999United StatesDEATH PENALTY
In October, republican presidential candidate Andy...
In October, republican presidential candidate Andy Martin, who is on the ballot in New Hampshire, announced he would campaign in the 2000 presidential primaries asking Republican voters to reject the "culture of death" which is "executing our future with
- MAY 1, 1999United StatesDEATH PENALTY
In May, 1999, the state of Illinois exonerated convicted...
In May, 1999, the state of Illinois exonerated convicted murderer Ronald Jones, the 3rd person freed from Illinois' death row in 1999, and the 12th since 1987
- APRIL 2, 1999United StatesDEATH PENALTY
On April 2, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops for...
On April 2, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops for the first time made opposition to the death penalty an urgent priority, addressing the disparity between Catholics who tend to support capital punishment and their Pope, who strongly opposes it
- FEBRUARY 4, 1999United StatesDEATH PENALTY
Although international law prohibits the execution...
Although international law prohibits the execution of people who were under 18 at the time of the crime, on February 4, 1999, Oklahoma executed Sean Sellers, 29, for murders he committed when he was 16 years old
- FEBRUARY 1, 1999United StatesDEATH PENALTY
A Gallup Poll taken in February, 1999, found that...
A Gallup Poll taken in February, 1999, found that 71% of those surveyed favored the death penalty for someone convicted of murder, while only 22% were against it
- JANUARY 1, 1999United StatesDEATH PENALTY
The pace of USA executions is on the rise, pushed by...
The pace of USA executions is on the rise, pushed by laws passed earlier this decade that limit appeals
- JANUARY 1, 1999United StatesDEATH PENALTY
In the USA there are 38 retentionist states (of which...
In the USA there are 38 retentionist states (of which at least 35 have very active death penalty dockets), 11 circuits with many federal district courts in each circuit all handling death penalty cases, all making law, some in conflict with others
- JANUARY 1, 1999United StatesDEATH PENALTY
Capital punishment in America is some sort of idiosyncratic...
Capital punishment in America is some sort of idiosyncratic lottery