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Newspaper
Argus
Location
Fremont, California, United States of America
Date
Feb 19, 1972
Page
2
Sacramento lawmakers split over the California Supreme Court decision striking down capital punishment. Gov Reagan condemned the ruling while legislators proposed a constitutional amendment to reinstate or repeal the death penalty, highlighting debates on justice, deterrence, and the court's role.
Governor Ronald Reagan condemned the California Supreme Court for overturning the death penalty calling the ruling a mockery of the constitutional process. He announced a petition for immediate rehearing and suggested a constitutional amendment if denied. Reagan warned the decision endangers public safety and criticized lawmakers for decades of failed abolition attempts.
San Quentin Warden Louis S Nelson said he opposed abolishing the death penalty yet was relieved he would not oversee mass executions. He compared himself to Eichmann, noted 102 men and five women on death row, and predicted no immediate change in death row operations. He anticipated possible Supreme Court action, support for safety, and a post ruling plan to form a designation committee to review condemned inmates.
In Sacramento the mother of Aaron Mitchell, the last man executed in the San Quentin gas chamber, cried as she learned of the California Supreme Court ruling that overturned the death penalty. She questioned if his death helped bring the decision, recalling Mitchell’s 1987 murder conviction for the shooting of Sacramento police officer Arnold Gamble during a tavern robbery. Mitchell, a 37 year old from Arkansas, spent 23 of his years in prison or on probation. She spoke of hoping no other man dies in the San Quentin gas chamber and spoke of her pride in her son.
Police Chief Edward M. Davis criticized the California Supreme Court decision to abolish the death penalty. He warned it would unleash an army of murderers and endanger citizens, calling for a referendum on the issue. Davis spoke from Arizona through his office, urging public vote and stressing safety for police, guards, and households.
Mary Sirhan, mother of Sirhan Bishara Sirhan the killer of Senator Robert Kennedy, beams at a news conference after the California Supreme Court voided death sentences for Death Row inmates. Her attorney Luke McKissack calls the ruling sweeping and argues it sets a modern precedent for California.
The California Supreme Court ruled capital punishment unconstitutional in a decision written by Chief Justice Donald R. Wright. Governor Reagan had appointed Wright two years earlier hoping for restraint and a denial of death penalty overturn. Wright described himself as an advocate of judicial restraint.
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