Alabama judges override jury mercy verdicts in over 90 percent of cases.

Evidence

In over 90% of their decisions, judges override jury verdicts of life imprisonment in favor of death sentences. In an earlier dissent, then Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens argued that this type of judicial practice detaches “the death penalty from its only legitimate mooring” (Editorial, 2013)-that is, from community values. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2013

Categorization

Category: Factual Claims

• QUESTION: The excerpt cuts off mid-sentence (Stevens’ argument is incomplete). Flag for later verification of what Stevens argued and the current status of Alabama’s judicial override practice.