Bush: Death warrants on hold
The Supreme Court
expects to rule by June on a civil rights issue raised by two Florida inmates.
ALEX LEARY and
CHRIS TISCH
St Petersburg Times.Published
February 2, 2006
TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Jeb Bush acknowledged Wednesday that Florida's death penalty
is likely on hold until the U.S. Supreme Court can rule on issues raised by two
death row inmates whose executions were blocked in the last week.
The
high court blocked the executions of Clarence Hill and Arthur Rutherford so it
can decide whether death row inmates can make last-minute civil rights
complaints that execution is cruel and unusual.
Hill's execution was blocked last week. Rutherford's was stopped Tuesday
evening. The high court expects to rule on the issue by June.
At a
press briefing Wednesday afternoon, Bush paused when asked if the death penalty
was on hold until the summer.
"Yeah, probably. We don't know why the Supreme Court's done what it's done, so
the uncertainty probably does create a need to wait," Bush said.
Bush
also said he didn't expect to sign any more death warrants until the court
issues a decision.
"I
don't think any are ripe anyway," he said. "Given our twisted system, it takes
forever to get to the point where people exhaust their appeals. They slow 'em
down. They wait."
