A federal judge on July 16 struck down California’s death penalty, ruling that, because of systemic delays, it is arbitrary and no longer serves the purposes of deterrence and retribution. U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney wrote that, since 1978, more than 900 people have been sentenced to death and 13 executed. “For the rest, the dysfunctional administration of California’s death penalty system has resulted, and will continue to result, in an inordinate and unpredictable period of delay preceding their actual execution,” he wrote.
FORMER AGS ARRESTED
Former Utah attorneys general John Swallow and Mark Shurtleff were arrested on July 15 and charged in a massive public corruption scandal. The charges, which include nearly two dozen felony counts of bribery and obstruction of justice, were brought by Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill following an investigation by state legislators. State prosecutors announced the charges at the FBI’s Salt Lake City office, even though the Department of Justice’s public integrity unit declined to prosecute the case.
