Justice Sandra Day O'Connor made a statement to a group...

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor made a statement to a group of women lawyers in Minnesota and said it should further energize the nation's continuing re-examination of capital punishment. "If statistics are any indication, the system may well be allowing some innocent defendants to be executed." "Perhaps it's time to look at minimum standards for appointed counsel in death cases and adequate compensation for appointed counsel when they are used," she said. She also deplored the fact that only a few states allow for post-conviction DNA testing, and that Texas defendants with the resources to hire their own lawyers are considerably less likely to be convicted than those with appointed counsel. The New York Times voiced support for Justice O'Connor's recent remarks questioning the fairness of the death penalty. The editorial notes O'Connor's historic position as a death penalty supporter and swing vote for the Court's conservative majority in death penalty cases. The Times ultimately calls for abolition of the death penalty.