Repeal the repeal is the name of a campaign pushed by
Bernalillo County Sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
Darren White to reinstate the death penalty in the state of New Mexico following the repeal of
capital punishment by the
state legislature
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
, signed into law by Governor
Bill Richardson on March 18, 2009.
The organization
RepealTheRepeal is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose goal is reinstating the death penalty in New Mexico for "the most heinous crimes". RTR will try to achieve this goal through a multi-pronged approach.
RepealTheRepeal opened a website and distributed a movie in favor of reinstating the death penalty.
Objectives
This campaign had at least three specified objectives:
*"Aggressively combat the misinformation campaign waged by the radical opponents of the death penalty and educate the public on the issue and the circumstances surrounding its repeal" ;
*Begin a petition drive in order to give voters the opportunity to "repeal the repeal" of the death penalty at the ballot box, pursuant to the
New Mexico Constitution
The Constitution of the State of New Mexico ( es, Constitución del Estado de Nuevo México) is the document governing the political framework of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It was adopted by Constitutional Convention on November 21, 1910, ratifi ...
;
*Urge voters to support candidates for the legislature and state office who will vote to reinstate the death penalty in New Mexico.
In an interview on the Santa Fe Reporter, Darren White said he was opposed to the death penalty for crimes other than murder.
[A Zeal for Repeal]
", ''Santa Fe Reporter'', April 9, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
Opinion poll
According to
Public Opinion Strategies, 67% of the voters in New Mexico supported capital punishment for "the most heinous murders".
Subsequent developments
In March 2011, two attempts to reinstate capital punishment failed in the New Mexico legislature. One bill would have reinstated the death penalty by statute; the other proposed an amendment to the state constitution which would have been put to New Mexico voters in 2012. Both proposals were voted down by a state House committee.
Death penalty reinstatement dies in committee
, ''New Mexico Independent'', March 9, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
See also
*Capital punishment in the United States
In the United States, capital punishment is a legal penalty throughout the country at the federal level, in 27 states, and in American Samoa. It is also a legal penalty for some military offenses. Capital punishment has been abolished in 23 s ...
*List of people executed in New Mexico
A total of 103 executions have been recorded in New Mexico: four during the Spanish Colonial era (1598–1821), none during the Mexican era (1821–1846), 51 during the Territorial era (1846–1913), 20 by the U.S. Military during the Taos Reb ...
* Death Penalty Information Center
* California Proposition 17 of 1972
* California Proposition 7 of November 1978
References
{{reflist
Capital punishment in New Mexico
Prison-related organizations
New Mexico law