Obama May Have To Confront Death Penalty Issue Very Soon

President Barack Obama may be forced to confront the death penalty issue within a matter of months. At issue is a case currently pending in Washington involving 6 death row inmates. The judge deciding their case has imposed a stay on their executions while he is reviewing whether the death penalty was properly imposed in their cases. If the stay is lifted then they will be scheduled for execution and President Obama will be petitioned to stop their executions. Three of the defendants are part of a Richmond Virginia gang that were sentenced to death for drug related murders, 2 men convicted of the rape, sexual assault and murder of a 16 year old girl, and another man convicted of killing a prison guard. All 6 defendants are black.

It will be interesting to see how President Obama will handle these matters. During the presidential campaign, he declared himself a supporter of death penalty. However, he has also stated that the death penalty should be reserved for the most "heinous" of crimes and in his book, "The Audacity of Hope" he stated that he saw little evidence that the death penalty served as a deterrent. As a senator from Illinois, he played a big role in reforming the death penalty system in Illinois. We will keep an eye out for any developments.

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