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#capitalpunishment

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A quotation from Harry Blackmun

From this day forward, I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death. For more than 20 years I have endeavored — indeed, I have struggled — along with a majority of this Court, to develop procedural and substantive rules that would lend more than the mere appearance of fairness to the death penalty endeavor. Rather than continue to coddle the Court’s delusion that the desired level of fairness has been achieved and the need for regulation eviscerated, I feel morally and intellectually obligated simply to concede that the death penalty experiment has failed. It is virtually self-evident to me now that no combination of procedural rules or substantive regulations ever can save the death penalty from its inherent constitutional deficiencies. The basic question — does the system accurately and consistently determine which defendants “deserve” to die? — cannot be answered in the affirmative. […] The problem is that the inevitability of factual, legal, and moral error gives us a system that we know must wrongly kill some defendants, a system that fails to deliver the fair, consistent, and reliable sentences of death required by the Constitution.

Harry Blackmun (1908-1999) US Supreme Court Associate Justice (1970-1994) [Harold Andrew Blackmun]
Callins v. Collins, 510 U.S. 1141 (1994) [dissent from denial of certiori]

Sourcing, notes: wist.info/blackmun-harry/18649…

"These questions, combined with a murder that tore into my own family, inspired me, several years ago, to volunteer to witness an execution—one of 13 carried out at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, during the final six months of Donald Trump’s first term." —Elizabeth Bruenig for The Atlantic

theatlantic.com/magazine/archi

The Atlantic · Witness: Inside America’s Death ChambersBy Elizabeth Bruenig

"According to legal scholar Corinna Barrett Lain’s new book 'Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection,' Sigmon’s choice of death by firing squad reflects a sound assessment of the well-documented horrors of lethal injection." —Charlotte Rosen for The Baffler

thebaffler.com/latest/botched-

The Baffler · Botched by Design | Charlotte Rosen“Secrets of the Killing State” ironically leaves openings for those who wish to salvage capital punishment.

Wanted: Doctor or nurse with a history of malpractice lawsuits, felony charges or DUI convictions. Ability to correctly administer drug doses desirable, but not essential. Career prospects include the chance to pilfer controlled substances, spit in prisoners food and generally be a bit of a dick. Apply to Missouri or Arizona State Penitentiary (Obvs) #CapitalPunishment #DeathPenalty #Lethal_Injection #StateSponsoredMurder

theguardian.com/us-news/2025/a

The Guardian · Who are the death row executioners? Disgraced doctors, suspended nurses and drunk driversBy Guardian staff reporter