USA - Ohio. State Supreme Court Justice Testifies for Death Penalty Repeal.

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Testifies for Death Penalty Repeal. Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul Pfeifer testified before the state's House Criminal Justice Committee, urging lawmakers to overturn the death penalty law he helped write as a state senator 30 years ago. Pfeifer, 69, white, a moderate Republican said: “The death penalty in Ohio has become what I call a death lottery," citing factors such as the location of the crimes and the attitudes of individual county prosecutors as variables affecting whether the death penalty is pursued in a given case. He continued, “It's very difficult to conclude that the death penalty, as it exists today, is anything but a bad gamble. That's really not how a criminal justice system should work.'' As a sitting justice, Pfeifer has continued to issue decisions in death penalty cases and to set execution dates under the law. Of his role, he said, "I have a duty under the law to follow that law. At the same time, we are admonished under the rules that apply to judges that we have a duty to step forward and advocate for changes we think would lead to an improvement in the law.” Democratic state Reps. Ted Celeste and Nickie Antonio are sponsoring an anti-death penalty bill. The chances of repealing the law appear to be slim, given continued support for capital punishment in Ohio by both Republicans and Democrats.