USA - Utah. A proposal to amend the state constitution and speed up post-conviction appeals in death penalty cases has failed in the Utah House

A proposal to amend the state constitution and let the Legislature regulate post-conviction appeals in death penalty cases has failed in the Utah House. Senate Joint Resolution 14 (SJR14) needed 50 votes, or a two-thirds majority, to pass in the House and appear on the 2010 ballot for consideration by voters. House members voted 38-35 today for the resolution. The measure was backed by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, who has said Utah effectively has no death penalty because convicted killers have been allowed repeated appeals. SJR14 would have streamlined the post-conviction process and shortened the amount of time convicted killers were on death row before execution. Utah has 10 men on death row, nine of whom have active appeals. (see also Feb. 10 and 27, 2009).