The Rutherford Institute Urges President Bush to Declare...

The Rutherford Institute Urges President Bush to Declare a Death Penalty Moratorium In a letter to President Bush, John W. Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, called for a moratorium on federal executions until its fairness is reviewed by a national commission. The review would follow a study released last year by the U.S. Justice Department that found racial and geographic disparities in the federal death penalty.In a related article, Whitehead wrote: "Even if President Bush is convinced that the death penalty in theory is right, its application in the federal system clearly deserves closer scrutiny. A moratorium simply acknowledges the need for more justice, not less."