Execution issues likely on tap in Ark. session
State lawmakers will likely tackle execution reform in the upcoming legislative session after Arkansas' top court struck down the state's 2009 execution law earlier this year.
Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Benton, has been tapped to lead the Senate Judiciary Committee. He says execution legislation will probably be the most important issue the committee handles in the next session, which begins Jan. 14.
Arkansas hasn't put anyone to death since 2005 — in part because of legal challenges like the one facing the state Supreme Court earlier this year.
In tossing out the 2009 execution law, the high court in June sided with a number of death row inmates who argued that the law violated part of the state's constitution that deals with separating the branches of government.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/E...#ixzz2E1ed3Psa
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